Thousands of supporters of the Free Destourian Party (PDL, opposition) demonstrated in Tunis on Sunday to denounce the “grabbing of power” by President Kais Saied and the economic crisis in which the country is plunged. “Poverty has increased”, “famine is at our doorstep”, chanted the demonstrators who were at least 2,000, in the city center, according to AFP journalists.
Some of the participants, who came at the call of the PDL, Abir Moussi’s anti-Islamist party, brandished sticks and placards in English (“Tunisian wake up”) and in French: “The Tunisian State is on the edge of the ‘collapse’. In recent months, the PDL has risen to the top of voting intentions for possible legislative elections.
“The power in place is illegitimate”
“The government is incapable of finding solutions for Tunisians… If we continue to remain silent, the country is doomed,” Abir Moussi, known for his oratory skills, told the crowd. She castigated the lone rider of Kais Saied, democratically elected at the end of 2019 but who has granted himself full powers since July 25. President Saied has since frozen the activities of Parliament, accusing this body, dominated for 10 years by the Islamo-conservative Ennahdha party, his pet peeve, of blocking any decision.
Moussi called Saied a “sovereign [qui] prepared the budget alone and did not discuss it with anyone”. “The power in place is illegitimate and does not engage Tunisians,” Moussi added, calling for immediate parliamentary elections. “Saïd, the dictator, is locked up in his palace, and the people find neither semolina, nor flour, nor oil, nor sugar”, complained to AFP Youssef Jabali, 32, holding a portrait of Abir Mossy.
In recent weeks, Tunisia, already mired in a serious economic and social crisis with very high inflation and unemployment, is facing shortages of basic foodstuffs. According to the authorities, this stems from a frenzy of purchases at the approach of Ramadan, a month of family reunions and high food consumption, which has been exacerbated by soaring prices linked to the war in Ukraine, a major wheat producer.