Tunisia facing political crisis following 2010 Arab Spring

Tunisia, which was touted as a success story of the 2010 Arab Spring or the Islamic Awakening movement, is facing a political crisis after President Kais Saied suspended parliament for at least a month.

Saied fired prime minister Hisham Al-Mashish in July amid protests over rising COVID-19 cases and a struggling economy in the North African country.

Tunisia has been struggling with growing COVID infections and deaths, police brutality and dwindling economic prospects for many months.

The Tunisian General Labor Union, the largest union in Tunisia, said recently in a statement that it had prepared a road map to get out of the current crisis. But people are not optimistic.

President Saeed’s decision to dissolve Parliament have been welcomed by many sides in Tunisia but Ennahdha, as the largest party in Parliament enjoys strong support in the country. Ennahdha has been key part of successive coalition governments since 2011.

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