Today July 25, 2023, after sixty-six years of independence, Tunisia is “celebrating” two years of a state of exception after Kais Saied’s coup to seize full powers. An opportunity to wonder about this experience of the Tunisian Republic and what it has brought, wondering if this country has not missed many opportunities to assert itself better and otherwise only worse since 2011.
The leaders who have succeeded since have left only desolation and above all a socio-economic bill with heavy consequences and to pay for the people and the generations to come. Since the state of exception proclaimed by Kais Saied two years ago to the day, it is still this term “worse” which suits Tunisia and which emerges and will emerge whenever it comes to this Nation, great for its exceptional people.
In this space of time, therefore, Tunisia of an immobility imposed by the power, will have experienced many political upheavals, an unparalleled economic crisis and this thanks to the magic of the stubbornness of a Kais Saied. On the dashboard of the Tunisian economy, the batteries are flat, and the indicators have never been at their lowest. And as a result more and more Tunisians in precariousness, an unprecedented social malaise (number of daily demonstrations), regression of freedoms and green and unripe… So much so that the country has entered the worst transition phase of its new existence since the “jasmine revolution”.
The country faces frequent food shortages because it cannot pay suppliers and other creditors on time. The IMF is turning its back on the loan of 1.9 billion dollars and the country is struggling with support, as recently with Saudi Arabia or Algeria, which has a stranglehold from suzerain to vassal in the pure “Baath” style once from Syria to Lebanon. No ! Faced with an uncertain future, the lack of alternatives to their fate and the deterioration of the economic situation, very few Tunisians still dare to project themselves towards this future that they have nevertheless so hoped for.
Since the 2019 elections, under the unchallenged “rule” of Kais Saied, there have been three prime minister appointments, one of which failed to form a government and another was sacked six months later. It is that since he granted himself full powers, the good man of his authoritarian populism has led Tunisia towards the worst of disasters. He governs only by decree-laws and muzzles any dispute or criticism and icing on the cake, he completely upset the Tunisian political system with his referendum which consecrated the new Constitution. The latter is described by some as ” the power of one » under a presidentialist regime and a Parliament with limited powers.
Under cover of a simplistic vision and like an arsonist firefighter, he imposes his dictate as the only way out of the crisis by transferring the responsibility for his failures to the Tunisians who are fighting back whatever their political color. And about color, which Kais Saied cannot mix moreover, serious, repeated and illegitimate attacks on freedoms and in an undemocratic way, we cannot hide here, the mistreatment it has reserved or inflicted on sub-Saharan migrants.
From his anti-migrant speeches that provoked global outrage and sparked a violent uprising against them, he had loudly advocated ” the need to quickly end immigration and described sub-Saharans as hordes of illegal immigrants whose presence in Tunisia was, according to him, a source of violence, crimes and unacceptable acts “.
Results of the races dead, injured, assaults and expulsions in the desert area on the border with the Libya Or migrants are left without water or food. Sad anniversary celebrated there, today’s Tunisia with Kais.