Tunisia’s continued path toward dictatorship

Radio Islam

On Friday, Tunisia’s President, Kais Saied, revoked the diplomatic passport of his predecessor Monsef Marzouki, who was the country’s first democratically elected president following the Arab uprisings. Saied has continued to concentrate power following the July constitutional coup. Recent moves saw him even freeze the salaries of members of parliament, which continues to be suspended. International pressure has been growing, with US congress members and senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties criticising these measures. However, support from Saudi Arabia and the UAE has allowed him to stave off such threats. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Mohamed Chtatou, a political analyst based in Morocco, noted Saied’s increasingly dictatorial powers, “He has stopped the parliament, and he has taken over all the powers, and nothing has changed since. Tunisia [is moving] towards a kind of global situation, the head of state only rules the government.”