Full Breakdown
Tunisia Five Years After Saied’s Power Grab: Persistent Grievances and Shrinking Dissent
9/1/2026, 4:17:14 AM
Saied’s 2021 Consolidation of Power
On July 25 2021, President Kais Saied suspended the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and lifted parliamentary immunity, describing the move as necessary to end a national crisis. Critics called the action a coup. Saied later dissolved parliament and oversaw the adoption of a new constitution in 2022 that markedly expanded presidential authority.
Economic Pressures and Service Failures
Unemployment remained high after the 2011 revolution, reaching 17.4 % by the end of 2020, according to the World Bank. Years of under-investment left public utilities fragile. In the summer of 2025, temperatures neared 50 °C in parts of the country, prompting the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas to impose rotating power cuts that also halted water-pumping stations. Residents reported days without running water and long queues for bottled water. The combined scarcity of electricity, water, and rising prices has driven many Tunisians to consider dangerous crossings of the Mediterranean.
Crackdown on Dissent
Human Rights Watch labeled the “conspiracy case” – a prosecution of opposition politicians, lawyers, activists and other public figures – as part of a broader crackdown. In April 2025, a Tunisian court sentenced 37 defendants to terms ranging from four to 66 years. On November 27 2025, a Tunis appeals court upheld convictions for 34 of those defendants, imposing sentences of five to 45 years and acquitting three. Rights groups argue the trials lacked adequate due-process protections, while authorities maintain the defendants committed serious offences against state security.
Public Reaction and Protests
Citizens have revived the 2011 revolutionary slogan “employment, freedom and national dignity.” The Nafis movement, a coalition of parties and independents, has organized demonstrations that draw participants beyond traditional opposition circles. Rabii Qassem, a Nafis collective member, noted that while the post-2011 decade brought gains in media diversity and civil-society space, the period after July 25 added a decline in political checks, freedoms and public-service delivery.
Why It Matters
Five years after Saied’s power grab, Tunisia faces the same socioeconomic grievances that sparked the 2011 uprising, now compounded by a narrowed arena for dissent. The overlap of economic hardship and political repression suggests that future unrest may be driven not only by unmet material needs but also by the limited channels through which Tunisians can voice opposition.
