Photo source: The New Arab By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Tunisia began its new era of a march towards autocracy when Kais Saied passed a referendum which was met with a low turnout in July 2022. It was something unexpected after he had installed a new female prime minister giving hope to Tunisians for a vibrant democracy.  The new constitution includes changes to shift back power to the presidency, away from parliament, which Saied’s supporters see as a centre full of political bickering and government paralysis. His mandated charter would replace a 2014 constitution that was a hard-won compromise between Islamist-leaning and secular forces. There was no minimum participation rate requirement for the referendum. Hence, the newly drafted constitution will become the law. Tunisian political analyst and author Amine Snoussi made comparisons of this referendum with some other recent referendums in other countries where attendance was far higher, such as Uruguay in 2022,...

  Photo source: Guardian By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront By installing Raoudha Boudent Ramadhane, a politically unknown, as Tunisia’s first woman prime minister in September 2021, President Kais Saied showed his intentions of not taking a long-time grab at power. Earlier, there were howls about an extended coup. This announcement was a breathing room for the entire international community.  As months passed by since July 2021, Tunisians got concerned about where their democracy was heading, due to a lack of clear-cut political plans. They earlier had been disillusioned about the bickering of the ruling political coalition. However, Saied had failed in delivering what his nation required: economic prosperity. But now, it seemed there was another attempt at breaking the deadlock, as Tunisia has been mostly in political limbo since ousting of Ben Ali in 2011. Many observers argued that as the country has been the birthplace of Arab spring, the first Arab female prime minis...

  Photo source: ABC News By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront In the ending week of July 2021, President Kais Saied announced a host of measures, the most remarkable of which was suspending the work of elected legislature. He stripped the members of the parliament from their power, suspended the prime minister, consolidated the judicial and executive power in his hands, and initiated a thirty-day curfew. In doing so, the critics say that the president ruined the work which Tunisians had done to rebuild democracy in the last ten years. The decision put the many sections of public into a tailspin, as they believe that his actions are unconstitutional, and a threat to Tunisia’s democracy. They call it a coup. Post Arab Spring, Tunisia was the only Arab country that transitioned to a democracy. The fervour of revolution had set the standards high for other Arab nations. It was in Tunisia, where more than a decade ago, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian fruit and vegetable vendor, set hims...

By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront T housands of Tunisians gathered on the streets of Tunis in January 2018, to mark the anniversary of the ousting of President Ben Ali, who went into exile to Saudi Arabia in January, 2011. This has been the country where 2011 Arab Spring against a tyrannical rule actually started. Right now, the country is running a fragile government. They have promised that the common people will reap the fruits of prosperity mainly from foreign investments, but Tunisians don’t believe their leaders. Infact, there were protests in 2016 regarding unemployment, in the Kasserine region. Then, in 2017, there was Kamour movement in the south, which ended after government accepted demands. S ince 1956, Tunisia has followed an economic model that has focused entirely on cheap exports to Europe and on budget mass tourism for Europeans. The prime minister, president and the senate hold equal power. At the same time, social activists are ac...