Name? Kaïs Saïed
Westphalian identity? Tunisian
Age? 63
Why is he in the news? President Kaïs Saïed announced this week that he would dissolve the Tunisian Superior Council of the Judiciary, one of the country’s independent judicial watchdogs. Saïed accused the judicial body of corruption and not taking its job seriously, especially in the case of political assassinations. After push back in Tunis, Saïed announced that the council will be replaced, raising eyebrows about whether the new council will remain independent of the executive branch.
Why do we care? This is not the first time that Kaïs Saïed has made undemocratic power moves. Last July, Saïed removed the National Parliament and expelled the Prime Minister, and later in September, he triggered the enforcement of presidential emergency powers, establishing one-man rule. With Saïed’s trend of democratic backsliding, there is worry of his moves to influence the Tunisian governmental structure (like his effort to reform the constitution, by asking for Tunisians’ suggestions online).
Why should you care? At first glance, Saïed’s expulsion of the Superior Council of the Judiciary does not seem that important. However, amidst Saïed’s power grab, Tunisia has begun to experience an economic crisis with the debt reaching 100% of the country’s GDP. As economic and political volatility in Tunisia becomes more salient, the possibility of crisis looms, which may spell out problems in North Africa and the Mediterranean, therefore you should care 5/10 of Saïed’s power grab.
Who else cares? In response to Saïed’s power grab, the G7 countries, under the leadership of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, released a joint statement underlining their concern over the rule of law in Tunisia. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, also commented, saying the exclusion of the council was, “[a] violation of Tunisia’s [human rights] obligations”. Any further comments? Though Saïed initially expelled the council, the members promised to continue working. Others protested in front of the main court in Tunis on Thursday.
