Tunisia. Revolution of Ballot Boxes?

Abstract

The presidential and parliamentary elections, which were held in Tunis in autumn 2019, were characterized as a protest vote or a “revolution of ballot boxes”. The new political elite, which made its way after the Arab Spring, failed to cope with the deep socio-economic crisis or establish effective governance mechanisms and thus failed. President Kais Saied, formerly unrelated to any political establishment, received a high credit of trust, but soon also failed to confront political opponents. The fierce struggle between the President and the Prime Minister, as well as between parliamentary factions, accompanied by insults and scuffles, has become a familiar feature of the Tunisia’s political landscape, forming a persistent lack of confidence in the government. The wave of popular protests in January 2021 resembled a violent riot, full of despair and devoid of optimistic expectations of a decade ago. This time demonstrations chanted slogans against Ennahda Islamists. The degradation of the socio-political situation against the background of the spread of the Covid-19 paved the way for the “exceptional measures” taken by the Tunisian president on July 25, 2021 and qualified by some sources as a “constitutional coup”. The main purpose of these measures was to “restart” the political system, adjust the course to preserve the achievements of the revolution and restore the economy.