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Tunisian President Kais Saied has
suspended parliament and
dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, deepening a
months-long political crisis. The parliamentary speaker slammed the move as a
coup and called on people to protest. But in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, those taking to the streets hailed the president's decision as
long overdue. Jubilant crowds were excited to hear the news. They blame the current government for a crippling coronavirus outbreak and bleak economic conditions. At the Presidential Palace, Saied said he will temporarily rule using his executive power before installing a new Prime Minister. The suspension of parliament will last 30 days, and will also lift the immunity from prosecution that politicians enjoy. Parliament is plagued by allegations of
corruption. Leaders from the ruling party called the move a state coup, committing to defend their hold on power. It follows widespread protests all over Tunisia, where demonstrators demanded the dissolution of parliament. A decade has passed since the
2011 revolution that sparked the
Arab Spring and brought democratic reforms. But Tunisia has remained prone to political turmoil, which has hampered the rebuilding of public services. On top of that, political leaders have been unable to slow an
overwhelming coronavirus outbreak, which has
killed thousands of people. Those on the streets will celebrate their triumph over Parliament but know, from experience, that the road to a more stable politics is much longer.
Tunisia, officially the
Republic of Tunisia, is the northernmost country in
Africa. It is a part of the
Maghreb region of
North Africa, and is bordered by
Algeria to the west and southwest,
Libya to the southeast, and the
Mediterranean Sea to the north and east; covering 163,610 km2 (63,170 sq mi), with a population of 11 million. It contains the eastern end of the
Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the
Sahara desert, with much of its remaining territory
arable land. Its 1,300 km (810 mi) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the
Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is home to Africa's northernmost point,
Cape Angela; and its capital and
largest city is
Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, which lends the country its name.
From early antiquity, Tunisia was inhabited by the indigenous
Berbers.
Phoenicians began to arrive in the 12th century BC, establishing several settlements, of which
Carthage emerged as the most powerful by the 7th century BC. A major mercantile empire and a military rival of the
Roman Republic, Carthage was
defeated by the Romans in 146 BC, who occupied Tunisia for most of the next 800 years, introducing
Christianity and leaving architectural legacies like the
amphitheatre of El Jem. After several attempts starting in 647,
Muslims conquered all of Tunisia by 697, bringing
Islam and
Arab culture to the local inhabitants. The
Ottoman Empire established control in 1574 and held sway for over 300 years, until the
French conquered Tunisia in 1881. Tunisia gained independence under the leadership of
Habib Bourguiba, who declared the Tunisian Republic in 1957. Today, Tunisia is the smallest nation in North Africa, and its culture and identity are rooted in this centuries-long intersection of different cultures and ethnicities.
In
2011, the
Tunisian Revolution, triggered by the lack of freedom and
democracy under the 24-year rule of president
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, overthrew his regime and catalyzed the broader
Arab Spring across the region. Free multiparty parliamentary
elections were held shortly after; the country again voted for parliament on 26 October 2014, and for president on 23 November 2014. Tunisia remains a
unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic; and is the only North African country classified as "Free" by
Freedom House, and considered the only fully democratic state in the
Arab World in the
Economist Intelligence Unit's
Democracy Index. It is one of the few countries in Africa ranking high in the
Human Development Index, with one of the
highest per capita incomes in the continent.
Tunisia is well integrated into the international community. It is a member of the
United Nations,
La Francophonie, the
Arab League, the
OIC, the
African Union, the
Non-Aligned Movement, the
International Criminal Court, and the
Group of 77, among others. It maintains close economic and political relations with some European countries, particularly
with France, and
Italy, which geographically lie very close to it. Tunisia also has an
association agreement with the
European Union, and has also attained the status of
major non-NATO ally of the
United States.
