Turmoil in Tunisia: Is democracy at risk?

The birthplace of the Arab Spring is in crisis.

Tunisia’s president has sacked the prime minister and put a freeze on parliament for 30 days, following weeks of protests against the government’s handling of the pandemic, poverty and high unemployment.

The biggest political party, Ennahda, is calling it a coup. But many Tunisians celebrated President Kais Saied’s actions, which he says were needed to save the country.

What’s behind the turmoil? And where does this leave Tunisia’s young democracy?

Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria

Guests:

Saida Ounissi – member of the Tunisian parliament and international spokesperson for the Ennahda Party

Mesaoud Romdhani – human rights activist and member of the executive bureau of Euromed Rights

Fadil Aliriza – editor-in-chief of Meshkal, a Tunisian news and analysis website