Tunis, Tunisia (Running Africa) — Hundreds of protesters have marched through the Tunisian capital demanding the removal of President Kais Saied and a return to democratic rule, as political opposition increasingly converges with public frustration over the country’s economic and social conditions.
The demonstration in Tunis follows a similar rally in July marking the anniversary of Saied’s 2021 decision to dismiss the government and suspend parliament, a turning point that dramatically reshaped Tunisia’s post-Arab Spring political system.
Protesters also expressed anger over rising living costs, declining purchasing power, medicine shortages and deteriorating public services, broadening the demonstrations beyond demands for political change.
Tunisia Protesters Call for Kais Saied to Step Down
Demonstrators marched through Tunis calling for Saied’s departure and demanding the restoration of democratic governance.
Protesters revived slogans associated with Tunisia’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, including calls for the fall of the regime.
The language carries particular significance in Tunisia, where mass demonstrations more than 15 years ago toppled longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and triggered a wave of uprisings across the Arab world.
The latest protest suggests that symbols of the 2011 revolution continue to resonate as opposition to Saied’s government grows.
Cost of Living and Public Services Fuel Anger in Tunisia
While political grievances were central to the demonstration, protesters also highlighted worsening economic pressures affecting everyday life.
Tunisians have struggled with higher living costs and weaker purchasing power, while shortages of medicines and problems accessing basic services have added to public frustration.
An intense summer heatwave has increased those pressures, with electricity rationing and water shortages reported across several parts of the country.
The combination of political dissatisfaction and economic hardship could present a broader challenge for the government if opposition groups succeed in converting public frustration into sustained demonstrations.
Nafas Movement Seeks Broader Opposition Coalition
The protest was organized by Nafas, a new opposition movement seeking to expand resistance to Saied beyond Tunisia’s established anti-government political groups.
Its emergence comes as opposition figures attempt to build a wider coalition around concerns over democratic governance, economic hardship and civil liberties.
Whether the movement can attract significant support beyond existing opposition networks will be an important test of the strength of anti-government sentiment.
The demonstrations in Tunis indicate that political opposition remains visible despite concerns over restrictions on dissent.
Kais Saied Faces Criticism Over Tunisia’s Democratic Backsliding
Saied has faced sustained criticism since July 2021, when he dismissed the government, suspended parliament and assumed sweeping executive powers.
Critics accuse the president of progressively weakening Tunisia’s democratic institutions, while restricting the space available to political opponents, independent media and civil society.
His opponents argue that the changes have undermined many of the democratic gains that followed the 2011 revolution.
Saied has consistently rejected accusations that he is dismantling democracy.
He maintains that his political program is necessary to reform the country and has accused opponents of serving or receiving support from foreign interests seeking to destabilize Tunisia.
Arab Spring Slogans Return to Streets of Tunis
The revival of Arab Spring-era slogans adds symbolic weight to the latest protests.
Tunisia was the birthplace of the uprisings that transformed politics across North Africa and the Middle East in 2011, and for years was regarded as the region’s strongest example of a democratic transition emerging from those movements.
The political changes introduced since 2021 have significantly altered that trajectory.
For demonstrators, invoking the language of the revolution connects current frustrations with an earlier struggle over political accountability and democratic government.
Political and Economic Pressure Builds on Tunisia Government
The latest Tunisia protests against Kais Saied bring together two sources of public discontent: concerns over democratic freedoms and mounting economic hardship.
For the opposition, the challenge will be turning periodic demonstrations into a broader movement capable of attracting Tunisians whose primary concerns may be economic rather than political.
For Saied, continued pressure over living costs, water and electricity shortages, public services and political freedoms creates a difficult combination at a time when his government is already facing significant criticism.
As protesters once again invoke the language of Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, the demonstrations are a reminder that the political demands that transformed the country more than a decade ago continue to shape its increasingly contested future.
