Tunisia opposition protests against president amid economic discontent

TUNIS, Aug 20 - Activists and opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied took to the streets of Tunis on Thursday, calling for his departure and the restoration of democracy in the latest protest against his governance amid growing political and economic discontent.

Hundreds of protesters said they reject "one-man rule" and "a slide towards dictatorship," and urged the release of jailed opposition figures, activists and journalists.

A similar demonstration took place last month, coinciding with the anniversary of measures by Saied on July 25, 2021, when he dismissed the government and later dissolved the elected parliament and began governing by decree.

Saied later dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, saying he was fighting corruption within the judiciary. The move drew widespread condemnation and international rights groups described it as undermining judicial independence.

The protests do not, in themselves, signal an imminent political shift, but they reflect growing pressure on the president and underscore the ability of Saied’s opponents to mobilise in the streets despite their divisions.

Demonstrators carried banners calling for the restoration of freedoms, while criticising the country’s deteriorating economic and social conditions.

"Enough of the failure, enough of the injustice and enough of the absurdity. The country is experiencing a complete collapse," Wissem Sghaier, an activist, told Reuters.

Tunisians are facing mounting economic and cost-of-living pressures, with deteriorating public services and shortages of some basic goods and medicines.

As frustration grows, protests have broken out in several parts of the country in recent weeks over water and power cuts and environmental problems, suggesting that public anger is spreading beyond political disputes with Saied to the mounting hardships of everyday life.

Rights groups accuse Saied’s government of carrying out a broad crackdown targeting opposition leaders, independent civil society groups, journalists and activists. They say Saied has used the judiciary and security forces to suppress opponents.

Saied denies accusations of political repression, saying he is enforcing the law and pursuing people suspected of financial corruption or conspiring against the state. REUTERS

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