Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday slammed his decision to extend a months-long suspension of parliament, accusing him of dealing another blow to the country's nascent democracy. Saied had on Monday evening vowed to press on with reforms to Tunisia's political system, after he sacked the government, froze the legislature and seized wide-ranging executive powers in July. Saied had in October moved to rule by decree, escalating fears for the only democracy to have emerged from the 2011 Arab uprisings. Other opponents accused Saied of seeking to extend his one-man rule and unilaterally remake the political system. But the 63-year-old president's focus has remained firmly on remaking the political system and tackling opponents -- primarily Ennahdha -- whom he accuses of corruption.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 15, 2021 08:44 UTC