Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election

NPR  

Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election Could this weekend's election in Tunisia sound the death knell for democracy in its third presidential election since the Arab spring? BEARDSLEY: Freedom bred democracy was the slogan of the revolution, says Monica Marks, professor of Middle East politics at New York University. BEARDSLEY: So when Saied shuttered the Parliament in July 2021, Tunisians celebrated in the streets, but soon he began to roll back Tunisia's decade of democratic progress, rewriting the Constitution, restricting freedom of expression, and ruling by decree. BEARDSLEY: Here, Saied claims there's a plot by certain foreign nations to send African migrants to Tunisia to change his country's Arab Muslim culture.

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History of this topic

Tunisia to Syria: Instability prevails in all Arab Spring countries
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Tunisia to Syria: Instability prevails in all Arab Spring countries

Firstpost  

Even as Arab Spring sought democracy after removing dictators, long periods of political instability, Islamist violence, and rise of new autocrats followed in West Asian and North African nations where Arab Spring toppled regimes More than a decade after the Arab Spring began in Tunisia, the anti-establishment movement finally materialised in Syria over the weekend. One autocrat replaced another in …

Tunisia’s president wins second term after cracking down on the opposition
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia’s president wins second term after cracking down on the opposition

LA Times  

Kais Saied joins his supporters Sunday in the capital, Tunis, after provisional results for the presidential elections were announced. Tunisian President Kais Saied won reelection in a landslide victory after a campaign season that saw his opponents jailed alongside journalists, activists and attorneys. The North African country’s Independent High Authority for Elections said Monday evening that Saied had won 90.7% …

Tunisia's President Kais Saied Wins Re-Election Despite Opposition Crackdown
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia's President Kais Saied Wins Re-Election Despite Opposition Crackdown

Associated Press  

Tunisia's President Kais Saied won re-election in a landslide victory, securing 90.7% of the vote. His closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7.4%. The election was marred by the arrests of several declared challengers and the ongoing incarceration of his most prominent right-wing and Islamist critics.

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring

Associated Press  

Tunisia's third presidential election since the Arab Spring is underway, with President Kais Saied seeking a second term. The election is expected to be closely contested, with few challengers able to challenge his dominance. The outcome will have significant implications for Tunisia's democracy and its future trajectory.

The presidential campaign season in Tunisia is officially underway a day after protests
3 months, 1 week ago

The presidential campaign season in Tunisia is officially underway a day after protests

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The official start of the presidential campaign season in Tunisia began on Saturday, a day after Tunisians took their anger to the streets of the capital to decry what protesters say is the deteriorating state of the country. More than a decade later, Ben Abdelslam said he was worried about the growing number of political figures who’ve …

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s electoral authority on Monday definitively approved just two candidates to challenge President Kais Saied in elections next month in the struggling North African country — and one of them was promptly arrested. Also Monday, Tunisia’s electoral authority confirmed that only incumbent Saied, Zammel, who leads a small pro-business party, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, a former left-wing pan-Arabist …

Tunisian Opposition figure Abir Moussi sentenced to two years amid crackdown ahead of October election
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisian Opposition figure Abir Moussi sentenced to two years amid crackdown ahead of October election

The Hindu  

A potential Presidential candidate in Tunisia has been sentenced to two years in prison, marking another setback to the country’s fledgling Opposition challenging President Kais Saied as he seeks a new term. Ms. Moussi’s lawyer Nafaa Laribi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she still intends to run in the October 6 Presidential election, and that, unlike other candidates, …

Tunisian President Kais Saied to seek reelection in October after tumultuous first term
5 months ago

Tunisian President Kais Saied to seek reelection in October after tumultuous first term

Associated Press  

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied said Friday that he will run for a second term, making a long-expected announcement while many of his potential opponents languish in prison on charges their attorneys have described as politicized. Saied, a 66-year-old former law professor, rose to power in 2019, capitalizing on anger against politicians who failed to fulfill the promises of the revolution …

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday it won’t take part in the North African country’s upcoming presidential election unless President Kais Saied’s political opponents are freed and judicial independence is restored. More than 20 political opponents have been charged or imprisoned since Saied consolidated power in 2021 by suspending parliament and rewriting the country’s constitution. The National …

Tunisia commemorates anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Opposition decries democratic backsliding
11 months, 1 week ago

Tunisia commemorates anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Opposition decries democratic backsliding

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Thirteen years after they toppled the country’s longtime dictator, Tunisians are protesting President Kais Saied for ushering in what they see as democratic backsliding, blaming him for quashing the aims of the revolution that kicked off the Arab Spring in 2011. “After a successful start, Tunisia’s democratic transition today has broken down,” Ahmed Chebbi, the president of …

Tunisians vote in local elections on Sunday to fill a new chamber as economy flatlines
1 year ago

Tunisians vote in local elections on Sunday to fill a new chamber as economy flatlines

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Butter and milk shortages. This is the environment in which Tunisians will head to the polls on Sunday for the country’s first local elections since President Kais Saied wrote a new constitution that voters approved last year. In the 13th election since the 2011 revolution, there’s little understanding about the stakes, what the new chamber has the …

Tunisia protest marks two years since president’s power grab
1 year, 4 months ago

Tunisia protest marks two years since president’s power grab

Al Jazeera  

Opposition has kept up its demonstrations against what it calls a ‘coup’ against Tunisia’s democracy. About 300 protesters have rallied in Tunis to mark the second anniversary of President Kais Saied’s adoption of sweeping powers and to demand the release of 20 detained opposition figures. The opposition has kept up its protests against Saied despite the arrest in February of …

Stop all financial aid to Tunisia until it returns to democracy
1 year, 9 months ago

Stop all financial aid to Tunisia until it returns to democracy

Al Jazeera  

Tunisia’s dictatorial regime has reached a new low. Saied accused Esther Lynch, the Irish general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, of making statements that “interfered with Tunisian internal affairs” during a protest organised by Tunisia’s General Labour Union, UGTT, in the port city of Sfax. This latest wide-reaching crackdown on dissent came on the back of a similar …

Tunisia: Anti-gov’t protests take place on revolution anniversary
1 year, 11 months ago

Tunisia: Anti-gov’t protests take place on revolution anniversary

Al Jazeera  

Demonstrators in Tunis marked 12 years since the Arab Spring revolution erupted across the region. Protesters are also marking 12 years since the Arab Spring revolution erupted across the region. The central Avenue Habib Bourguiba – the artery of the capital, Tunis, and a key site for the revolution – was crowded on Saturday with thousands of protesters waving Tunisian …

Tunisia’s election: The beginning of the end for Saeid
2 years ago

Tunisia’s election: The beginning of the end for Saeid

Al Jazeera  

The election, seen as a sham by most in the country, did nothing to defuse the tensions that will likely lead to the downfall of President Kais Saeid’s authoritarian regime. Tunisia’s December 17 parliamentary election, the first since Tunisian President Kais Saied’s July 2021 power grab turned the country into a de-facto dictatorship, proved to be a sham as expected. …

Low turnout in Tunisia parliament vote amid economic vows
2 years ago

Low turnout in Tunisia parliament vote amid economic vows

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisians on Saturday voted to elect a new parliament, to the backdrop of a soaring cost-of-living crisis and concerns of democracy backsliding in the North African country — the cradle of Arab Spring protests a decade ago. Opposition parties — including the Salvation Front coalition that the popular Ennahda party is part of — boycotted the polls …

Tunisians are voting in an election critics say could cement a return to autocracy
2 years ago

Tunisians are voting in an election critics say could cement a return to autocracy

NPR  

Tunisians are voting in an election critics say could cement a return to autocracy toggle caption Claire Harbage/NPR SIDI BOUZID, TUNISIA — It was in the center of this city in central Tunisia that a wave of Arab uprisings was set off with one desperate act. Enlarge this image toggle caption Claire Harbage/NPR Claire Harbage/NPR It's why Wasseem Jday is …

Disillusioned with democracy, Tunisians to elect parliament
2 years ago

Disillusioned with democracy, Tunisians to elect parliament

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — To the outside world, Saturday’s elections in Tunisia raise several red flags: Many opposition parties are boycotting them, foreign media are banned from talking to candidates and critics say the new electoral law makes it harder for women to compete. Neila Zoghlami, president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, said the electoral law “does not meet …

Opposition hopes democratic ideals can return in Tunisia
2 years ago

Opposition hopes democratic ideals can return in Tunisia

Al Jazeera  

As overseas voting begins, voter apathy is palpable and begs the question if the spirit of democracy in Tunisia is dead. Ghannouchi has dismissed the moves against him and his party as “tyranny” and evidence of what they call Saied’s “coup”, a characterisation the president rejects. “It feels like the party has been effectively criminalised, we can’t speak,” Ounissi said, …

Strangling Tunisia’s democracy
2 years, 4 months ago

Strangling Tunisia’s democracy

The Hindu  

On August 16, the results of the referendum on the amendments to the national constitution proposed by Tunisian president Kais Saied were formally endorsed by the election commission, effectively terminating the country’s brief encounter with a democratic order. In December 2021, Mr. Saied announced a “road map” for political change — online “consultations” on constitutional reform, a committee to propose …

One man-rule: The Hindu Editorial on the Tunisian referendum
2 years, 4 months ago

One man-rule: The Hindu Editorial on the Tunisian referendum

The Hindu  

With over 94% voters backing a new Constitution that would see the return of a strong presidency, Tunisia’s brief experiment with post-revolutionary parliamentary democracy has come to an end. President Kais Saied, who sacked the elected government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended Parliament last year, has been pushing for constitutional changes that would institutionalise his one-man rule. With …

After the referendum: The challenges of a power grab in Tunisia
2 years, 4 months ago

After the referendum: The challenges of a power grab in Tunisia

The Hindu  

The story so far:Tunisian voters have approved a new Constitution that would turn the country back into a presidential system, institutionalising the one-man reign of President Kais Saied, who suspended the elected Parliament and awarded more powers to himself last year. While Mr. Saied has welcomed the result, his critics have warned that the new Constitution would erase whatever democratic …

The West should not continue to support Tunisia’s new dictator
2 years, 10 months ago

The West should not continue to support Tunisia’s new dictator

Al Jazeera  

The birthplace of the Arab Spring is now an autocracy and Western democracies helped it get there. After initially delaying talks with the International Monetary Fund on the urgently needed bailout package, and accusing both the IMF and the World Bank of “hypocrisy” for backing corrupt political and economic lobbies, for example, Saied recently flipped his discourse and now seems …

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022
3 years ago

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022

Al Jazeera  

President Kais Saied says Tunisia will hold a referendum on a new constitution in July 2022, before general elections in December. Tunisia will hold a constitutional referendum next July, President Kais Saied announced on Monday, months after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents called a coup. The referendum vote would take place on July 25, a year after …

Hundreds of Tunisians protest President Saied’s ‘power grab’
3 years, 2 months ago

Hundreds of Tunisians protest President Saied’s ‘power grab’

Al Jazeera  

Protesters are calling on President Kais Saied to resign after he announced he would rule by decree. Demonstrators gathered on Sunday in the centre of Tunis along Habib Bourguiba Avenue under a heavy police presence to demand his resignation, chanting, “The people want the fall of the coup.” Brushing aside much of the 2014 constitution, Saied gave himself the power …

Blinken says Tunisian president promised ‘democratic path’
3 years, 4 months ago

Blinken says Tunisian president promised ‘democratic path’

Al Jazeera  

The US secretary of state says Kais Saied promised him he was committed to democracy, as he urged him to restore parliament. The US Secretary of State has expressed concern about the political crisis in Tunisia after President Kais Saied suspended the parliament and dismissed the government in a move the country’s main political parties called a “coup”. The top …

What happened in Tunisia was a coup
3 years, 4 months ago

What happened in Tunisia was a coup

Al Jazeera  

The president’s decision to suspend parliament and dismiss the government cannot be defined as anything other than a coup d’etat. When Tunisia’s President Kais Saied announced on Sunday his decision to invoke Article 80 of the country’s constitution, he was doing what he had publicly threatened to do for a while. Prior to Sunday’s announcement, Saied had on numerous occasions …

Tunisia’s democracy since the Arab Spring: Timeline of key events
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia’s democracy since the Arab Spring: Timeline of key events

Al Jazeera  

The country’s new constitution is the latest step along a bumpy road since the country’s 2011 revolution. Tunisians are voting for a new constitution, one year after President Kais Saied sacked the government and froze parliament in one of Tunisia’s biggest political crises since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy. January 2011 – Strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees …

Profile: Kais Saied, Tunisia’s president accused of ‘coup’
3 years, 4 months ago

Profile: Kais Saied, Tunisia’s president accused of ‘coup’

Al Jazeera  

President accused of attack on Tunisian democracy after sacking the country’s prime minister and suspending parliament. Tunisia’s president described his election victory in 2019 as “like a new revolution” – and on Sunday night he brought huge crowds of supporters onto the streets by sacking the government and freezing parliament in a move his foes called a ‘coup’. While the …

A dream of freedom sparked Tunisia’s revolution. Ten years on, economic reality now threatens it
4 years ago

A dream of freedom sparked Tunisia’s revolution. Ten years on, economic reality now threatens it

The Independent  

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