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☆ Tunisian Authorities Arrest Opposition Politicians Amid Social Discontent
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Noureddine Bhiri, pictured in the foreground in light-colored frames, right, is a senior figure of the Ennahda opposition party. Tunisian authorities have detained a handful of opposition figures and businessmen whom President Kais Saied views as posing a threat to his rule, according to human-rights activists and the United Nations, which called for their release. At least nine people have been detained or arrested since the weekend, including politicians, judges and the head of the country’s main independent news outlet, according to Human Rights Watch, which is tracking the cases. Some have been accused of posing a danger to state security, according to the rights group and lawyers.

☆ Tunisia police arrest ex-judges sacked by president, lawyer and media say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The local Mosaique FM radio network said Akremi's arrest was linked to the investigation into the assassination a decade ago of Chokri Belaid, a political activist. Ennahda, the biggest opposition party, said the arrests were aimed at intimidating opponents of Tunisia's president. Saied's political opponents, whom he has labelled traitors, have accused him of a coup aimed at dismantling the democracy built after a 2011 revolution. The president has denied those accusations, saying his moves were lawful and necessary to save Tunisia from chaos. Over recent months, authorities have arrested or opened investigations into several of Saied's political opponents.

☆ Tunisian police detain prominent politicians and businessman
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Tunisian police detained politicians and a prominent, politically connected businessman on Saturday, their lawyers said, in a case that local media said was based on suspicion of conspiracy against state security. Ennahda, an Islamist party that is the biggest in the opposition, said the arrest of Turki was aimed at intimidating the president's opponents. The Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition against Saied, condemned his arrest, saying police had questioned him several times for meeting opposition figures at his home. Neither Turki nor Ltaif have been prominent critics of the president. The businessman, Ltaif, was also arrested at his home, his lawyer Redha Bel Hadj said by phone.

☆ Polls open in Tunisian election with turnout under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A voter casts his ballot at a polling station during the second round of the parliamentary election in Tunis, Tunisia January 29, 2023. Polls are open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. (0700 GMT-1700 GMT). On Friday Moody's credit ratings agency downgraded Tunisian debt saying the country would likely default on sovereign loans. Saied's new rules make the parliament subservient to the president, who now takes the lead in forming or dismissing governments. The rules also reduce the role of political parties, with parliamentary candidates listed only by name without reference to their party affiliation.

☆ Thousands of Tunisians rally against president on revolution anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TUNIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters marched against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of near total power in central Tunis on Saturday, demanding he step down as they marked the anniversary of a key date in the 2011 revolution that brought democracy. "We were on Bourguiba in January 2011 when Saied was not present... today he is closing Bourguiba to us. We will reach it whatever the price," said Chaima Issa, an activist who took part in the 2011 revolution before the crowd pushed through the barriers. [1/5] Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, in Tunis, Tunisia January 14, 2023. However, Saied unilaterally changed the official anniversary date and has said he regards Jan. 14 as a moment when the revolution went astray.

"The situation is very dangerous because of years of continuous drought," said Hammadi Habib, an Agriculture Ministry official. Tunisia already has food supply problems thanks to high global prices and the government's own financial difficulties, which have reduced its capacity to buy imported food and subsidise farms at home. "It is time for the authorities to declare a state of water emergency," said Radhia Smine of the Tunisian Observatory of Water. Thousands of families will lack drinking water," she added. "If we do not take decisions in January to reduce irrigation water and ration water use now to prioritise drinking water... then for sure in August we will not have drinking water in the capital or coastal regions," said Habib, the agriculture ministry official.

☆ Three prominent opponents of Tunisian president say they are under investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Three prominent opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Monday that they had received notices from prosecutors that they were under investigation, including one related to assaulting public security and insulting the president. Chebbi is the leader of the opposition Salvation Front and has organized regular protests against Saied for months. Saied seized control of executive powers in July 2021 and later dissolved parliament, a step described by his opponents as a coup. The powerful UGTT Union also criticized the president, saying that it rejects his autocratic approach and will not remain silent. Hammami said a judge opened an investigation at the request of the justice minister on charges of spreading rumors and insulting the president.

☆ Tunisia union threatens to 'occupy the streets,' rejects 2023 budget
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT union will hold mass protests and "occupy the streets" soon to show its rejection of next year's austerity budget, the leader of the union said on Monday, in its strongest challenge to the government of President Kais Saied yet. The union, with more than a million members, has proven able to paralyse the economy with strikes. We will not accept it...we will occupy the streets to defend our choices and the interest of the people,” Noureddine Taboubi, the head of UGTT, said. Tunisia has reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a $1.9 billion rescue package in exchange for unpopular reforms, including cutting food and energy subsidies, and overhauling public companies. The 2023 budget showed that wage bill in the public sector will drop from 15.1% in 2022 to 14% next year, a main reform demanded by the IMF.

☆ Tunisian Opposition Calls for President to Step Down After Low Voter Turnout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The leader of Tunisia’s opposition alliance called for President Kais Saied to step down on Sunday after only a fraction of eligible voters turned out for parliamentary elections. More than 160 seats were up for vote. Yet once polls closed on Saturday night, only 8.8% of eligible voters, or roughly 803,000 people, had participated, according to the government. Tunisia has a population of roughly 12 million people, with about 9 million eligible voters.

Opposition politicians said Tunisia's lowest ever turnout stripped away any facade of democratic legitimacy for Saied's political project and called directly for his ouster. Saturday's dismal turnout strongly reinforced a perception of scant public support for his plans. As a political independent, Saied lacks the nationwide support of a party apparatus that can mobilise on his behalf. "Politics has become a luxury that we cannot afford," said Lamia Gharbi, who was queuing for bread at a Tunis bakery. Successive coalition governments have failed to find a fix for public finances that can satisfy lenders without prompting a domestic backlash.

☆ Tunisian opposition calls on president to quit after low turnout election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tunisia's President Kais Saied speaks outside a polling station during parliamentary election in Tunis, Tunisia, December 17, 2022. Tunisian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSTUNIS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Tunisia's "Salvation Front" opposition coalition called for President Kais Saied to quit office, saying he had lost his legitimacy after Saturday's parliamentary election had a preliminary turnout figure of less than 9%. Although opposition groups have previously attacked Saied's political programme, they had not previously said he should quit office. "From this moment we consider Saied an illegitimate president and demand he resign after this fiasco," he said. Saied has presented his political changes as necessary to save Tunisia from years of political and economic crisis.

☆ Polls open in Tunisian vote boycotted by opposition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during parliamentary election in Tunis, Tunisia December 17, 2022. Saied shut the previous parliament down last year, surrounding the legislature with tanks and assuming near total authority. The vote appears to have stirred little interest among a population jaded by political dysfunction and struggling with economic hardship. With the main parties absent, a total of 1,058 candidates - only 120 of them women - are running for 161 seats. For 10 of those - seven in Tunisia and three decided by expatriate voters - there is just one candidate.

☆ Tunisians Emigrate in Record Numbers as Hopes Fade for Its Economy, Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

A rescue operation to help people in a boat off the coast of Tunisia in August last year. Many Tunisians are making the dangerous journey by boat from their home country to the European Union. TUNIS, Tunisia—Record numbers of Tunisians are leaving the country after a decade of economic turmoil and the government’s turn toward authoritarianism, dimming hopes that a younger generation can build a future in the nation that sparked the Arab Spring. The flood of Tunisian émigrés spans socioeconomic classes, with professionals, the working class and the destitute represented among those fleeing, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushes up the price of food and gas, and the government pulls back from subsidizing basic items such as sugar and rice. Inflation has reached nearly 10% this year, and economists say a $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan secured by President Kais Saied isn’t enough to pull the country of 12 million people back from the brink.

☆ Protests paralyse Tunisian town after migrant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A southern Tunisian coastal town was paralysed by protests on Tuesday amid growing anger over the fate of people who drowned in a migrant shipwreck last month, with some buried in unmarked graves. Images showed the streets of Zarzis packed with protesters chanting anti-authority slogans with shops and government institutions closed. Nothing," he said, adding that Walid felt he had no future in Tunisia despite being an excellent student. Protests began in Zarzis this month after a boat believed to be carrying 18 migrants disappeared. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tunisia police clash with protesters, the second night of protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS,Oct 15 (Reuters) - Protestors clashed with police in the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Saturday, for the second night after a man died from injuries sustained during a police chase in August. The fresh protests come as the country suffers an economic and political crisis amid fuel and food shortages. The protests began on Friday after the funeral of the young man. The North African nation is suffering a severe political crisis since Tunisian President Kais Saied seized power and dissolved parliament in 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Tarek Amara; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Franța propune o rezoluție ONU pentru încetarea focului în conflictul Israel-Palestina
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-19 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Franţa a propus o rezoluţie Consiliului de Securitate al ONU, în coordonare cu Egiptul şi Iordania, care solicită încetarea focului în conflictul dintre Israel şi Gaza, asumându-şi riscul de a irita Statele Unite, notează AFP citată de Agerpres. În cursul unei reuniuni cu uşile închise a Consiliului de Securitate, a patra în opt zile, Franţa a vorbit despre proiectul de rezoluţie, potrivit unor diplomaţi la New York. Pe lângă apelul pentru "încetarea ostilităţilor", el ar cere "acordarea accesului umanitar pentru persoanele care au nevoie", a spus un alt diplomat, sub acoperirea anonimatului. Franţa, care îndeamnă de câteva zile la un armistiţiu rapid, a indicat că susţine o mediere condusă de egipteni. Washingtonul a refuzat trei documente propuse de China, Tunisia şi Norvegia, reaminteşte AFP.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Abdel Fattah, Sisi, Abdullah al II - lea al Iordaniei, Washingtonul Organizations: Securitate, ONU, Agerpres, Consiliului, Franţa Locations: Franţa, Iordania, Israel, Gaza, Statele Unite, francez, New York, Paris, franceză, China, Tunisia, Norvegia

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