Tunisia torn between hope and anger as anti Kais Saied protests gain momentum
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Alaina
- . October 22, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 1:24 am
Tunisia is currently relying on funds from IMF (International Monetary Fund), and so are the hopes of President Kais Saied who is facing widespread protests since he dissolved the country’s parliament and took on the reins of country in his own hands passing a series of decrees.
Tunisian delegation and the International Economic Fund (IMF) have just signed a preliminary agreement on a loan of $1.9 billion (€1.94bn). The funds are desperately needed by Tunisia for some respite from the economic challenges. The IMF Executive Board is still required to sign off on the loan towards Tunisia. Whether the deal goes through or not, the level of discontent among people of Tunisia is reaching unprecedented levels.
Last weekend, thousands of citizens of Tunisia took to the streets of the capital Tunis, voicing anger against the president Kais Saied. “Get out, get out,” they chanted. “What is happening is a natural result of the sedative phenomenon that President Kais Saied symbolizes,” said Salim Boukhdhir, a left-wing political activist and dissident. He added that “the president has turned his back on the country’s real problems, adopted a populist political rhetoric and isolated Tunisia from the modern international community.”
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Similar opinion is echoed by many protesters who say that Saied is completely responsible for political chaos and mayhem in the country, which was exacerbated by his step to dissolve the parliament earlier this year and ousting of the country’s prime minister. Higher energy and wheat prices have already wrecked havoc for the people of Tunisia. This could further be worsened if IMF loan is approved as it comes in with certain conditions, “including for example the abolishment of sanctions, more regulation and taxation of the informal labor sector”.
The protests have been carried out by two rival Tunisian opposition groups, in one of the biggest protests in country. One march in the capital Tunis was organized by the National Salvation Front, which is a coalition of opposition parties including the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha, while the other was organized by Ennahdha’s ideological rival, the secular Free Destourian Party (PDL).
