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.
