Thousands of Tunisians demonstrated in Tunis on Saturday to denounce the policies of President Kais Saeid, whom they accuse of being responsible for the serious economic crisis in the country, marked by recurring shortages of basic foodstuffs and high inflation.
Led by the National Salvation Front, a coalition of opposition parties that includes the Islamist-inspired formation Ennahdha, the demonstrators crossed the main streets of the Tunisian capital, calling for the departure of the president.
“Go away, go away”, “Revolt against Kais the dictator”, “the people want to dismiss the president”, chanted the protesters.
“This demonstration reflects anger at the situation in Tunisia under Kais Saied and calls for his departure,” former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh, vice-president of Ennahdha, told AFP.
“If the current political power persists, there is no future for Tunisia. Poverty, unemployment and despair are on the rise,” he added.
At the same time, another demonstration against the deterioration of living conditions also took place on Saturday in Tunis, organized by the Free Destourian Party (PDL), an anti-Islamist opposition formation.
Socio-economic crisis
The participants in this demonstration brandished empty baskets in reference to the sharp drop in purchasing power. Souad, a retiree, accuses President Saied of “having done nothing”. According to her, situation has only gotten worse” since she came to power in 2019.
About 1,500 people took part in the demonstration organized by the National Salvation Front, while that led by the PDL gathered nearly 1,000, the interior ministry told AFP.
Tunisia, strangled by a debt exceeding 100% of its GDP, has experienced recurrent shortages of basic products (flour, sugar, coffee, etc.) in recent months in a context of galloping inflation (nearly 9% in August on a year).
Tunisia’s difficulties, which have been in economic decline for 10 years, have been amplified by the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine, which has increased the cost of imports of cereals and hydrocarbons on which it is very dependent.
The country has also been mired in a serious political crisis since the coup by President Saied who seized full power in July 2021.
On Saturday evening, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it had reached an agreement with the Tunisian government allowing the release of a loan of 1.9 billion dollars.
This agreement, which has yet to be validated by the Fund’s board of directors, could alleviate the crisis in the country. In exchange for this payment, the Tunisian government has committed to a program of reforms, according to an IMF press release.
