Hundreds protest president’s ‘political path’ in Tunisia

TUNIS, Tunisia

Hundreds demonstrated in the capital Tunis on Sunday against President Kais Saied’s “political path” amid a months-long crisis in the North African country.

Sunday’s protest was organized by the National Salvation Front (NSF), a coalition of six Tunisian parties opposing Saied.

Abdul Latif al-Makki, Secretary-General of the Labor and Achievement Party, a coalition member, said Tunisian authorities had banned opponents from demonstrating in Mnihla neighborhood in the capital.

“However, we organized our protest west of Tunis, in which hundreds took part,” he told Anadolu Agency.

He said that supporters of Saied had attempted to attack protesters “but were prevented from doing so by the National Guard forces.”

There was no comment from the authorities on the claim.

Supporters of the Tunisian president, however, circulated a video of what they called the expulsion of the NSF supporters from Mnihla.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economic conditions since 2021, when Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.

Since then, Saied held a referendum to draft a new constitution in July 2022 and parliamentary elections last December.

While Saied insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report