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In Tunis, the Tunisian capital, significant unrest unfolded Sunday May 12th as hundreds of protesters convened to demand the release of detained journalists, activists, and opposition leaders, while also calling for the scheduling of fair presidential elections.
The protests are part of the deepening economic and political turmoil in Tunisia, accompanied by a surge in the arrests of journalists, lawyers, and political dissenters. This wave of arrests escalated Saturday when Tunisian police forcibly entered the Deanship of Lawyers, arresting Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer vocally critical of President Kais Saied. That same day, two journalists were also detained, intensifying concerns over the erosion of civil liberties.
Although the Election Commission had previously affirmed that elections would proceed as planned, there remains no confirmed date for the upcoming presidential elections as President Saied’s first five-year term nears its conclusion. Saied, originally elected in 2019 through a democratic process, radically consolidated power in 2021 by dissolving the elected parliament and assuming the authority to govern by decree, including taking control over the judiciary—an action the opposition deems a coup.
President Saied has been critical of the opposition, accusing them of prioritizing their presidential ambitions while boycotting parliamentary elections. However, opposition figures argue that the current political environment, marked by media restrictions and the jailing of key opposition figures, is not conducive to fair elections.
On Sunday, the call for a transparent and free political atmosphere was emphasized, demanding an end to press and political repression. Imed Khemiri, a senior figure from the Ennahda party and a member of the organizing Salvation Front, criticized the government’s actions, stating, “Today there is no climate for fair elections and there is no date… the authorities are repressing politicians, lawyers, and journalists.”
Khemiri highlighted the raid on the lawyers’ headquarters as a grave precedent that cements the authoritarian regime in place. Meanwhile, notable opposition figures such as Abir Moussa remain imprisoned, and Mondher Zanaidi has declared his candidacy from France, wary of arrest should he return to Tunisia.
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