Thousands March in Tunis Against President Kais Saied

Thousands of Tunisians marched through Tunis on Saturday in the largest demonstration against Kais Saied in years. Led by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and a rare coalition of opposition parties, lawyers, doctors, and journalists, protesters marched from Mohamed Ali Square along Habib Bourguiba Avenue.

Demonstrators demanded the release of political prisoners and an end to restrictions on trade union rights. The rally was driven by widespread anger over a deteriorating economy, with protesters citing high unemployment, medicine shortages, and recurring power and water cuts. Professional associations, including the National Bar Association and the Journalists' Union, joined the front to protest the undermining of democratic institutions.

President Saied, who dissolved parliament and dismissed judges after seizing broad powers in 2021 and 2022, has rejected claims that he is a dictator. He asserts that his opponents are engineering economic crises to incite social unrest and maintains his determination to purge the country of corrupt figures and traitors.