As a law professor, Kais Saied preached strict adherence to the Constitution. As Tunisia’s president, he has bent it to his will. Will he save Tunisia’s democracy or destroy it?
Tag: Tunisia
‘You Just Think About Eating’: Why Tunisians Backed a Presidential Power Grab
Dissatisfied by the government’s handling of the pandemic and the economy, some in this North African nation welcomed drastic action to change the political leadership.
Tunisia’s President Holds Forth on Freedoms After Seizing Power
“‘Why do you think that, at 67, I would start a career as a dictator?’” President Kais Saied said in a meeting with The New York Times, quoting Charles de Gaulle. He vowed to preserve hard-fought rights.
Why Tunisia’s Promise of Democracy Struggles to Bear Fruit
The revolution of 2011 ousted a dictator and set off the Arab Spring. But then the West overlooked the country’s economic problems, intent on creating a bulwark against Islamist extremism.
With Gatherings Banned Amid Turmoil, Tunisians Can Only Watch. And Wait.
Days after their president staged a power grab, threatening their young democracy, many Tunisians are banking on the hope that things cannot get much worse.
Tunisia’s Democracy Verges on Collapse as President Moves to Take Control
The effort by President Kais Saied threatened the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring protests a decade ago, and his opponents called it a coup.
Coronavirus Surges in Kisumu, Kenya
The pandemic is worsening in Africa as more contagious variants spread, vaccinations lag and hospitals in some places are pushed beyond their limits.
A Decade After the Arab Spring, Autocrats Still Rule the Mideast
The popular uprisings of 2011 mostly failed, but they gave the region a taste for democracy that continues to whet an appetite for change.
On Arab Spring Anniversary, Tunisia, Its Birthplace, Erupts
Tunisians are putting their hard-won right to criticize the government to good use. They just wish there were less to protest.
As Virus Resurges in Africa, Doctors Fear the Worst Is Yet to Come
The coronavirus killed far fewer people in Africa than in Europe and the Americas, leading to a widespread perception that it was a disease of the West. Now, a tide of new cases on the continent is raising alarms.