Tunisia, once hailed as the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring, experienced a dramatic shift on July 25, 2021. That night, President Kais Saied announced he was dismissing the prime minister, suspending parliament for 30 days, and taking executive power. He said it was a constitutional emergency measure to save the state. But critics, including former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, called it a coup. Mechichi said he was locked in a room at the presidential palace before the announcement.
The move came amid rising frustration. Tunisia was struggling with a severe COVID-19 outbreak, high unemployment, and political deadlock. Thousands had protested earlier that day. Saied, a former law professor elected in 2019 as an outsider, had long criticized parliament as the main obstacle to reform.
The international response was cautious. The US and Europe avoided calling it a coup, concerned about stability and migration. Saied's emergency measures were repeatedly extended. Over time, he consolidated power, arresting opposition figures, judges, and journalists. The constitution was largely suspended.
Five years later, Tunisia faces economic hardship and a shrinking democratic space. Many Tunisians regret the loss of their democratic gains. Mechichi said, "We thought democracy could not go backwards. We were wrong."