TUNIS, Tunisia

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has called for civil disobedience in the North African nation to topple incumbent President Kais Saied.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Marzouki accused Saied of pushing the country to "an unprecedented level of problems."

"In less than a year, Tunisia drifted to division, economic collapse, threats against judges and grave violations of human rights,” Marzouki said.

Saied ousted the government on July 25, 2021, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority. While he insists that his "exceptional measures" are meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

Last month, Saied called a referendum on Tunisia’s ruling system on July 25, 2022 and early parliamentary polls on Dec. 17.

But Marzouki termed Saied’s call as a referendum on a “dictatorial constitution”, calling on Tunisians to participate in planned demonstrations in Tunisia on Jan. 14.

“Let us turn these popular protests into civil disobedience…to force [Saied] to resign and impose legitimacy and democratic system,” he said.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar