Inside Story

Could Tunisia fall under a new dictatorship?

Warnings of authoritarianism after President sacked ministers and froze parliament.

Tunisia is often held-up as the only success story of the Arab Spring.

But 10 years on, its democracy is looking fragile.

President Kais Saied has defended sacking the prime minister and suspending parliament for 30 days, saying he acted lawfully under the constitution.

He’s also imposed a night-time curfew and banned public gatherings.

Tunisia’s biggest political party, Ennahdha, is calling for a national dialogue to get out of the crisis.

While some celebrated the president’s decisions, others are warning of a return to authoritarianism.

Could Tunisia fall back under a dictatorship?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Tarek Kahloui – Political analyst

Sarah Yerkes – Senior fellow, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Salih Yasun – Fellow, Ostrom Workshop, Indiana University Bloomington