Tunisian President Kais Saied Sworn In for Second Term Amid Crackdown on Opponents
Tunisian President Kais Saied has begun his second term in office, following a landslide re-election victory and a months-long crackdown on his political opponents. Saied, a 66-year-old former law professor, won 90.7% of the vote in the October 7 election. In his investiture speech, he called for a “cultural revolution” to address the country’s pressing issues, including unemployment, terrorism, and corruption.
Saied’s vision for Tunisia is one of dignity and opportunity for all its citizens. “The goal is to build a country where everyone can live with dignity,” he told members of the Tunisian parliament. However, his methods have been criticized by many, both domestically and internationally. During his first term, Saied suspended the country’s parliament, rewrote its constitution, and jailed dozens of his critics from various sectors, including politics, media, business, and civil society.
The president justified these actions as necessary measures to combat corruption and enemies of the state. He has used populist rhetoric to appeal to Tunisians who are disillusioned with the direction the country has taken since the ouster of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. Saied has vowed to tackle “thieves and traitors in the pay of foreigners” and blamed “counter-revolutionary forces” for hindering his efforts to support Tunisia’s struggling economy.
Saied’s re-election comes after a turbulent first term, marked by significant challenges. “The task was not easy. The dangers were great,” he acknowledged. “The weapons of the old regime were like vipers that moved everywhere. You could hear them hissing, even if you couldn’t see them.”
Despite his commitment to respecting freedoms, many journalists were barred from covering Saied’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday. This move was strongly condemned by the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, which expressed its disapproval of the ongoing restrictions on journalistic work in a press release issued the same day.
As Saied begins his second term, the international community will be watching closely to see how he balances his commitment to democracy and human rights with his desire to drive change and reform in Tunisia.
