Thousands protest in Tunis on fifth anniversary of Saied's emergency rule
Thousands of people marched in central Tunis on Saturday to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied and to mark five years since he suspended parliament and later dissolved it. The demonstration took place on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, one of the capital's main thoroughfares, and moved from Republic Square towards the Municipal Theatre. Protesters said they were rejecting what they described as democratic backsliding, worsening living conditions and rule by decree.
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The rally came on the anniversary of Saied's declaration of a national emergency, a move that allowed him to concentrate power and govern without parliament. According to the supporting material, the march was part of a recent run of protests against crackdowns on dissent, a struggling economy and limits on press freedoms. Demonstrators also rejected the president's political programme, which he calls the "July 25 path".
Crowds carried flags and banners and chanted for Saied to leave, along with slogans calling for freedom, work and national dignity. Some protesters also revived the phrase "the people want the fall of the regime", a slogan associated with Tunisia's 2011 democratic revolution and heard again on the same avenue. Many participants called for the release of political prisoners, saying that arrests had increased since Saied seized emergency powers.
The protest matters because Tunisia was once seen as the strongest democratic success story to emerge from the Arab Spring, and the events of 2011 remain a reference point for opponents of the current political direction. Saied's critics say the emergency measures have reversed that transition by weakening institutions and narrowing space for opposition voices. The latest march suggests that resistance to his rule continues to draw support beyond established party structures.
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The call for the protest came from Nafas, an umbrella initiative bringing together opposition parties and independent figures opposed to Saied's concentration of power. Wissam Sghaier, spokesman for the Jomhouri opposition party, said the demonstrators had come out to hold the system of governance to account and expose its failures. Imed al-Khamiri, spokesman for Ennahdha, said the protests had expanded beyond traditional opposition parties to include a wider circle of citizens dissatisfied with the government's handling of the country.
What remains unclear from the available material is how many people took part in total and whether there were any arrests or clashes. It is also not clear how the authorities responded to the march or whether further demonstrations are planned. The protest adds to a continuing political confrontation over Saied's use of emergency powers, and the next developments will likely depend on whether opposition groups can sustain their mobilisation.
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