According to Western media, Tunisian President Kais Saeed has expressed annoyance over recent statements of American officials regarding the country’s political situation and state of democracy. According to details, President Kais told visiting US Congressional delegation that the recent critical statements made by US officials on Tunisian internal matters are in no way acceptable. According to him, such assertions are unacceptable as Tunisia is an independent and sovereign state, and the Tunisian people expressed their will in a July 25 referendum approving a new Constitution.
Tunisia, a lone democracy of the Arab world has been in the deep shades of the political crisis that not only aggravated the country’s economic conditions but also prompted anarchy after President Kais Saeed ousted the elected government of Prime Minister Najila Romdhane, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority in July 2021. President Kais issued multiple orders, terminated the Supreme Judicial Council, ousted judges, and detained his political opponents on the charges of treason and sedition to consolidate his rule in the country. Interestingly, Kais’s greed for power didn’t satisfy through these illegal and undemocratic actions but a long-time professor of law used his legal expertise to expand and consolidate his government by framing a new constitution of the country, that not only confers limitless authority to him but also set the stage for his lifetime rule in the African nation.
President Kais organized a nationwide referendum on July 25th to get a stamp from the public on his unconstitutional and undemocratic actions. Although the turnout of Kais sponsored referendum remained below 30 percent, yet these figures were sufficient for a self-made dictator to betray his countrymen as well as the rest of the world. The western nations and the United States issued their traditional pro-democracy assertions and criticized Kais’s self-centered actions that were seriously noticed by the African ruler and Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the US charge d’affaires to voice rejection of US statements decrying the referendum.
Although Kais snubbed the US lawmakers over criticism of American officials, however, his legacy is less likely to prove its worth because Saeed can not hide the reality of his fake referendum and illegal authoritarian regime for a longer time.
