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Many people in Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the 2011 Tunisian revolution that launched the Arab Spring, see President Kais Saied’s takeover as a necessary evil.
But there are also fears that last month’s impeachment of parliament, the dismissal of the prime minister and Saied’s rise to extended powers could bring Tunisia closer to another dictatorship.
It was in this large city in central Tunisia on December 17, 2010 that Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit and vegetable seller irritated by police harassment, set himself on fire.
His suicide sparked an unprecedented uprising that left some 300 dead and toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
But more than a decade later, hopes for a better future have given way to anger and disappointment at the failure of politicians in this North African country to improve living standards.
The songs of “Dignity! And work! ”That filled the air during the revolution resonated in recent protests.
Ahmed Ouni is 36 years old, unemployed and not at all happy with his lot.
Place Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia. By ANIS MILI (AFP) “The past 11 years have been worse than 23 years under Ben Ali! Parliament and government have strangled us in poverty, so good riddance to them! he said.
“Because the Tunisians chose Saïed, he has their approval to lead the country and do what needs to be done. We have confidence in him,” Ouni told AFP.
‘Dark’
Sidi Bouzid’s infrastructure has improved and more and more businesses have opened, but some people still feel marginalized and look to Saied for a better life.
“Go ahead,” Ouni said. “The people are with you.
Saied, a retired professor and specialist in constitutional law, was elected president in 2019.
On July 25, the president invoked the constitution with full powers, after suspending parliament for an initial period of 30 days.
On August 23, he announced that these measures would continue indefinitely.
“It’s a surgical operation necessary to stop the bleeding,” said Abdelhalim Hamdi, a 47-year-old construction worker with a history degree who also staged protests in Sidi Bouzid.
Graffiti artist Kaître Grojja, also known as “Wolf Gang”, is working on a mural in Sidi Bouzid, in central Tunisia. By ANIS MILI (AFP) “The politicians in power have stolen our dreams and our ambitions,” he said, adding that he supported the abolition of the constitution because it was “written to serve narrow interests”.
Many believe that the suspension or repeal of the constitution – welcomed internationally when it was adopted in 2014 – is inevitable.
“It is a necessary evil to save the country, even if it will probably lead to an authoritarian regime,” said Sami Abdeli, 38.
He was speaking in the center of Sidi Bouzid, near the sculpture of Mohamed Bouazizi’s vegetable cart on which is inscribed the word “Liberty”.
Townspeople are normally quick to strike up a conversation about politics, but many seemed reluctant to comment on Saied’s actions.
“We can see that self-censorship is back,” said Mounira Bouazizi, blogger and coordinator at Sidi Bouzid’s office of the International Media and Human Rights Observatory.
Anti-corruption purge
“People no longer want to express themselves freely and say what they really mean.”
She said that on social media, supporters of Saied “spoke violently and did not accept any criticism of the president.”
Yossra Abdouni, a 25-year-old engineering student, warned.
“The idea that one person has all the executive power scares me,” she said. Saied “is vague about his intentions – he has not presented any program.”
Red peppers drying along the road to the town of Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia. By ANIS MILI (AFP) “Even though the economic and social situation has worsened and the political class is fragmented, at least we had freedom and democracy,” she added.
President Saied’s decision last month was condemned by Ennahdha, the largest Islamist party in parliament, as a coup.
Since then, parliamentarians, magistrates and businessmen have been targeted by travel bans and house arrest as part of an anti-corruption purge that raises fears of a degradation of freedoms.
“Saied is moving towards an individualistic and dictatorial regime. He only hears his own voice,” said Rabeh Zaafouri, who heads the office of the Tunisian League for Human Rights in Sidi Bouzid.
“So far he has only taken populist and chaotic decisions which threaten the democratic process and constitute an obstacle to political life.”
Zaafouri said the Tunisians “will never allow a return” to conditions before the 2011 revolution.
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