Thousands of demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital on July 26, 2026, to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied. The protest took place five years after Saied suspended the country's parliament.
Those gathered decried democratic backsliding, economic hardship, and political repression. During the demonstration, protesters revived the historic slogan of the 2011 revolution: "the people want the fall of the regime."
Why It Matters
Tunisia was widely regarded as the lone democratic success story to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which initiated a wave of pro-democracy uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa. President Kais Saied's consolidation of power since 2021, which included suspending parliament and rewriting the constitution to weaken legislative oversight, has led to widespread domestic and international criticism that the country's democratic gains are being systematically undone. This political shift has coincided with a severe economic crisis, leaving many Tunisians struggling with high unemployment and inflation.
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