Riots in Tunisia: a country on the verge of collapse

In Tunisia, the situation is tense after Prime Minister Mechichi was ousted. Security forces surrounded the parliament in the capital Tunis.

In a coup d’état, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied overthrew the government on Sunday evening and sent parliament on a 30-day break. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi had to leave after just one year. The head of state threatened the parliamentarians that he would have their immunity lifted. Many Tunisians had previously demanded exactly that and celebrated their head of state on the streets.

But like any political drama, this one too has a history, and it contains innumerable human tragedies. Weeks ago, doctors had drawn attention to intolerable conditions in the clinics, including Zakaria Bourguira from the Kassab Manouba hospital in Tunis. A reporter from ARD Studios North West Africa he said the capacities for treating severe corona cases had long been exhausted.

“There are waiting lists for beds, everyone is calling and wants a ventilator, but we don’t have more capacity,” said Bourguira. The result is that it has to be selected from among the patients who is suitable for one of the precious ventilation positions, according to the anesthetist. This so-called triage has apparently been a common practice in Tunisia for weeks: “We are only called for cases that are younger than 45 years and need a ventilator.” Bourguira is close to tears when he says this. The government has left the population to fend for themselves in the fight against the disease. There are deaths because the government did nothing.

Corona numbers are increasing sharply

The numbers rose day by day, the situation was very bad, and of course that scared her, says nanny Aida Charkaoui. Many requirements would not be enforced, not even the mask requirement. She has completely lost her trust in the government. More than half a million people have already contracted Corona, and Tunisia currently has hundreds of deaths a day. Soon 20,000 people will have died of Corona – Tunisia only has around 12 million inhabitants. Hardly any country in the world is currently achieving this death rate.

Then yesterday, popular anger over the alleged failure of the government was once again aired in the open air. Not only in Tunis, but also in Sousse, in Kairouan, Sfax and Nabeul: “We are calling for the dissolution of parliament,” protesters chanted. The politically fragmented House of Representatives had rarely found decisions recently and the government had let the corona disaster run its course because no one could force it to act meaningfully. Particularly bitter are the indications that often outside help did not even come into the country because bureaucracy, corruption and customs blocked and delayed urgently needed imports

“We work within the legal framework”

Surrounded by uniformed men in a meeting room of the presidential office, President Saied then announced that he would run the business of government with the help of a new prime minister. There are very delicate moments in Tunisian history right now, said the law professor. In the event of imminent danger, his actions are covered by the constitution. “We are working within the legal framework,” said Saied.

The largest group in parliament, the moderate Islamists from the Ennahda party, were part of the government until yesterday. Suddenly they are in opposition. They say it is a coup. The Ennahda members and the Tunisian people would defend the revolution, the party announced on Facebook.

Party leader Rached Ghannouchi was prevented by the military this morning from entering the parliament of which he is president. Head of state Saied warned of violent resistance: “If you fire a bullet, the armed forces will respond with a bullet.” Ten years after the start of the democratic uprising in Tunisia and under the pressure of the Corona crisis, the Mediterranean country looks more torn than ever.