There was tension hanging in the air as I walked through Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis, in July, just months before the country’s latest presidential election. But some Tunisian journalists, lawyers and members of non-governmental organisations have argued that the country has slowly returned to a dictatorship. Tunisia’s current president, Kais Saied, was elected democratically in 2019. Tunisia’s election authority reported that only 27% of registered voters cast their vote, a significant drop from the 55% that turned out in 2019. Saied has expressed reservations about these conditions, saying that such measures would increase poverty, fuel social unrest and compromise Tunisia’s sovereignty.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 11, 2024 17:23 UTC