Tunisians demand President Kais Saied’s removal
Tunisians have demanded free and fair elections to oust President Kais Saied, who is associated with Saudi Arabia and is suspected of plotting a coup last year.
The Salvation Front in Tunisia wants Kais Saied to be replaced “by the Tunisian elite in fair and legitimate elections and not in the polls on December 17,” according to Samir Dilou, a member of the front.
He denounced the president’s “individual rule,” adding that he had given himself “pharaonic powers.” In addition, Dilou declared that the front would continue its “peaceful struggle” against the Saied administration, which he ascribed responsibility for the nation’s problems.
The Free Constitutional Party revealed that it had complained to a Tunisian court to stop the elections on December 17. In a statement, it claimed that the complaint was brought about by the fact that “the electoral commission did not receive any nomination in seven out of 161 constituencies,” calling this “a severe precedent that confirms the lack of the citizens’ involvement” in the election process.
A poor voter turnout was anticipated by Shahid Observatory for the 2018 legislative elections. After shutting down the legislature last year, Saied, a former law professor who was elected in 2019, acted to rule by decree. He later expanded his powers with a new constitution that was approved in a referendum in July.
His detractors claim that his actions have weakened the democracy established as a result of the 2011 uprising that forced the overthrow of former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and set off the Arab spring. In addition to years of economic gloom and persistent unemployment, a problem in the state’s finances has made it harder for Tunisians to afford basic necessities like milk, sugar, and gasoline.
Tunisians demand President Kais Saied’s removal
However, the president has attributed the shortages to hoarders and speculators, claiming that his government’s actions were necessary to rescue Tunisia from years of misery. Saied, according to his detractors, has led Tunisia back dangerously toward dictatorship as the country struggles with a crushing economic crisis.
Saudi Arabia expressed its steadfast support for the Tunisian President during the political situation.
