Tunisians oppose constitution referendum, protest

• Tunisia’s President Kais Saied is attempting to amend the constitution to grant the presidency additional authority.
• He plans to hold a referendum on the new constitution on July 25.
• The protest, which was led by Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party

Thousands of Tunisian protestors flocked to the streets on Saturday in opposition to President Kais Saied’s vote on a new constitution, which would strengthen his grasp on power.

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When Saied fired parliament and started ruling by decree, his opponents called it a coup.

Thousands marched from the capital’s Bab Souika Square to the Kasbah Square, waving Tunisian flags and screaming, “We want our kidnapped country back!”

In the context of a collapsing economy and fears of a public finance catastrophe, Saied is attempting to amend the constitution to grant the presidency additional authority.

He plans to hold a referendum on the new constitution on July 25.

As per his admirers, he is standing up to elite forces whose incompetence and corruption have caused a decade of political gridlock and economic stagnation in Tunisia.

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