About 2,000 protesters gathered in the Tunisian capital on Sunday demonstrated and demanded that President Kais Saied step down.

This morning, Habib Bourguiba Street witnessed the influx of demonstrators opposing the decisions of Tunisian President Kais Saied to suspend work on most articles of the constitution and monopolize most of the authorities in preparation for broad political reforms.

This is the second vigil of Said’s opponents in the street after a stand that took place on September 18, with the support of several parties, that rejected the step of the president, who assumes full executive and legislative authority, through a temporary organization of public powers that he had issued in a presidential order.

Activists and politicians launched calls on social media to demonstrate today, with the aim of putting pressure on President Saeed and pushing him to reverse his step.

“Down with the coup,” the protesters, who began gathering in front of the Municipal Theater building on Habib Bourguiba Street amid a heavy security presence, chanted.

This is one of the most serious political crises that Tunisia has witnessed since the start of its democratic transition in 2011 after the 23-year rule of late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown.

“President Said’s decision to rule by presidential decree represents the most serious institutional threat to Tunisia’s hard-won progress on human rights and democracy since the 2011 revolution,” Human Rights Watch said.

Saeed, who used Article 80 of the constitution to announce the exceptional measures on July 25, said that he took these steps to save the state from an imminent danger, confront corruption, and fulfill the will of the people.

The president intends to propose reforms that mainly include amending the constitution, the system of government and the electoral law. Organizations and parties criticize the president’s individual tendency in formulating these reforms.

(agencies)