Hundreds of Tunisians protested on Sunday against President Kais Saied, accusing him of deepening authoritarian rule and stifling political competition two weeks before a presidential election.
Amid a heavy police presence, protesters for a second week marched along Tunis' main avenue, a focal point of 2011 "Arab Spring" revolution, chanting slogans including "The people want the fall of the regime" and "Out with dictator Saied".
The protest came after lawmakers proposed a bill to strip the administrative court of its authority to adjudicate electoral disputes, a move that the opposition says would discredit the 6 October election, and pave the way for Saied to secure a second term.
"He committed a robbery and seized all the powers!" a Tunisian woman who works as a civil servant told RFI. "Kais Saied does not believe in any partner - whether it comes from the people, the parties, civil society or the opposition. He thinks he is a prophet on Earth!"
Some protesters also recounted the difficulties they encountered in participating in the demonstration.
"It was not easy to get to the place of the gathering," a 60 year old woman told RFI, asking for anonymity. "The police made us take detours: 'Go this way, go that way, stop'..."
"Kais, oh dictator, your turn will come," others chanted.
This new series of protests follows a first demonstration last weekend.
Tunisia’s presidential campaign continues amid protests over restricted freedoms
Unfair campaign
Two weeks before the election, NGOs and parties still active in the country are promising to take to the streets again to protest against what they call the return of dictatorship.
"We had a revolution to gain a little more democracy and to get out of arbitrariness but unfortunately we are in an even worse situation than before," another woman told our correspondent in Tunis, referring to the Arab Spring started in December 2010.
Tunisian president removes minister following protests
"Saied's steps show that he is no longer popular and he fears losing the election", Nabil Hajji, the leader of the opposition Attayar party, told Reuters news agency.
"Tunisians now have only one choice, which is the streets to defend our democracy," he said.
Political tensions in the North African country have risen since an electoral commission named by Saied disqualified three prominent presidential candidates, Mondher Znaidi, Abdellatif Mekki and Imed Daimi.
Lack of justice
The commission defied the administrative court, the highest judicial body in election-related disputes, and allowed only two candidates to run against Saied.
One of them, Ayachi Zammel, is in jail after being sentenced on Wednesday to 20 months in prison for falsifying signatures on election paperwork in what he calls a politically motivated case.
Amnesty International has demanded that Tunisian authorities end their clampdown on rights and freedoms, stop the harassment of opponents, journalists, HRDs and NGOs, and stop undermining the judiciary and the rule of law.
"The courts are now being used against the political opposition, against critics of the government in place and against journalists who defend human rights, activists and also the shrinking of space in relation to the activity of NGOs," Amnesty's Fida Hammami told RFI.
"For the first time, the body that is responsible for organising the elections does not allow two leading organisations in the fields of observation and transparency to observe the elections."
Critics say Saied is using the electoral commission and judiciary to secure victory by stifling competition and intimidating candidates.
The president denies the accusations, saying he is fighting traitors, mercenaries and the corrupt.
Saied was democratically elected in 2019, and has since tightened his grip on power.
He began ruling by decree in 2021 in a move the opposition has described as a coup.
(with Reuters)
