Thousands of Tunisians Rally in Support of President's Extraordinary Measures

People rally in support of President Saied in Tunis on Sunday. (AP)
People rally in support of President Saied in Tunis on Sunday. (AP)
TT
20

Thousands of Tunisians Rally in Support of President's Extraordinary Measures

People rally in support of President Saied in Tunis on Sunday. (AP)
People rally in support of President Saied in Tunis on Sunday. (AP)

Thousands of Tunisians rallied in support of President Kais Saied’s extraordinary measures to suspend the parliament, dismiss Prime Minister Hisham Mechichi and boost his constitutional powers.

Amid tight security measures, more than 3,000 demonstrators gathered on Habib Bourguiba street in the center of the capital, Tunis, chanting: "We are all Kais Saied, we are all Tunisia," and "the people want the dissolution of parliament."

Demonstrations in support of Saied were also organized in Sfax, Sousse, Tataouine, Gabes, and el-Kef.

In Tunis, Noura ben Fadhel, 40, said that Saied wants to implement reforms, and "we back him," adding: "I came to support a change to end the current decline. We’re fed up with it. It’s been going on for ten years, and that’s enough!"

Security forces were deployed on Bourguiba avenue and surrounded the demonstrators stationed in front of the Municipal Theater building, waving the Tunisian flag.

The protesters carried pictures of the president and banners reading "The people want a revision of the constitution," "Saied, the people’s official spokesman," and "With you till the end."

A group of political parties, primarily leftists and nationalists, announced their support for the president’s moves and called on their supporters to participate in marches and sit-ins in various regions.

The People’s Movement leads a political front in support of the president, including the Alliance for Tunisia, the Popular Current, and the Baath Movement.

Zouhair Maghzaoui, head of the People’s movement, said in a press statement that the exceptional measures came in response to the demands of the people, adding they will lead the way towards a free and democratic Tunisia.

"The people also rallied to urge the Tunisian president to implement economic and social reforms," he added.

On July 25, Saied sacked the government, suspended the parliament, and assumed powers in the country, citing Article 80 of the Constitution, which allows such decisions to be taken in the face of imminent danger.

On September 22, Saeid issued a presidential order that included other exceptional measures that strengthened his powers, after most of the executive powers were in the hands of the government.

"Legislative texts will be promulgated in the form of decrees signed by the President of the Republic," one of the articles stipulates.

A second article says that the president shall exercise executive power with the help of a government.

"The President of the Republic presides over the Council of Ministers and may mandate the Head of Government to replace him/her," says another.

The Islamist Ennahda Party criticized Saied’s moves, saying they were a coup against the constitution and the 2011 revolution, while Tunisian and international human rights organizations warned of an "authoritarian tendency" after the president strengthened his powers.

Thousands of Tunisians demonstrated last Sunday in protest against the president’s decisions.

Last Wednesday, Saied appointed Najla Bouden, 63, to form a new government, the first woman in the country’s history to assume the post.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
TT
20

UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."