Thousands of Tunisians have filled the streets of Tunis to protest five years of President Kais Saied’s rule.
The capital echoed with the historic 2011 revolutionary cry demanding the immediate fall of the country’s current regime.
Protesters decried a collapsing economy, severe rolling power cuts, and the widespread jailing of prominent political opposition figures.
Once celebrated as the sole constitutional democracy in the Arab world, Tunisia now grapples with deep political fractures.
Supporters defend Saied’s sweeping 2021 power grab as a necessary correction to save a deeply troubled nation.
Conversely, fierce critics argue that the rule of law has been entirely replaced by institutional intimidation and fear.
Economic indicators have plummeted dramatically, leaving the investment rate crashing to a meager eight percent of the GDP.
Ordinary citizens bear the heaviest burden as skyrocketing food inflation rapidly erodes their daily household purchasing power.
Meanwhile, elderly political prisoners languish in sweltering jail cells, sparking severe warnings from international human rights organizations.
United States lawmaker Joe Wilson forcefully condemned Saied, threatening targeted sanctions against the president’s inner circle.