Tunisian President Posts Video To Dispel Rumors After Opponents Say He Is Sick

Tunisian President Kais Saied posted a video of himself on this official Facebook page hours after the country’s main opposition coalition called on the government to explain why Saied had not appeared in public or held any meetings since March 22; the opposition coalition told journalists that they had information that the 65-year-old president was sick. The lack of statements or videos from the Tunisian presidency’s Facebook page, its only official channel of communication, has sparked rumors over the state of Saied’s health. Saied said in the video: “The president is absent for two or three days, he gets a cold and that becomes a problem, a power vacuum?“ He accused his political rivals of trying to create crises, adding that “these people deserve nothing but contempt.” In July 2021, Saied declared a state of emergency, dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and ruled by decree. A year later, about a quarter of the 9 million registered voters in Tunisia turned out for a referendum on a new constitution that gave Saied almost total power by putting the country’s president in supreme command of the army, gave the president full executive control and allows the president to appoint a government without the approval of parliament. Tunisia transformed into a country with democratic rule as a result of the 2011 Arab Spring, until Saied launched what is considered a “coup” by his opponents.