Protests and public backlash against Tunisian President Kais Saied are growing as rolling blackouts hit North Africa amid a record-breaking heatwave.

According to the British daily Financial Times (FT) on the 5th (local time), Mediterranean-adjacent Tunisia has been experiencing an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures soaring above 45°C (113°F).

The surge in cooling demand has overloaded the aging power grid, prompting the state-owned power company to implement rolling blackouts.

Some regions have even suffered from simultaneous water supply disruptions.

Protests protesting these conditions have recently erupted across various parts of Tunisia.

Young protesters have blocked roads and burned tires.

On July 25, marking exactly five years since President Saied declared a state of emergency and moved to consolidate presidential powers, thousands gathered in the capital of Tunis for an anti-government rally.

Demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Saied, chanting slogans such as "No electricity, no water, only prisons and soaring inflation."

The FT noted that this expression of disappointment toward President Saied stands in stark contrast to the welcoming atmosphere that greeted his power-concentration measures five years ago.

At the time, many citizens supported his moves—despite rolling back democracy—under the banner of eradicating corruption and ending political chaos.

Tunisia, the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring, had been evaluated as the sole successful democracy in the Arab world of the Middle East and North Africa.

Although political turmoil and economic recession followed the ouster of then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011 after his 23-year rule, Saied—a former law professor—was elected president in the 2019 election, raising hopes as a savior who would end the chaos.

Citing the eradication of political corruption and incompetence, President Saied declared a state of emergency in 2021, effectively paralyzing the legislative and judicial branches before pushing through a constitutional amendment the following year to concentrate state power in the presidency.

In particular, granting the president not only the command of the armed forces and the power to appoint the head of the executive branch, but also the authority to dissolve parliament and appoint judges—while exempting cabinet ministers appointed by the president from parliamentary confirmation votes—led some critics to label the move tantamount to a coup.

Dozens of critics and opposition figures have also been imprisoned with long-term sentences.

Although President Saied successfully secured re-election in the 2024 presidential election with an overwhelming 90.7% of the vote, voter turnout stood at 28.8%, the lowest among presidential elections held since the Arab Spring.

Experts analyze that amid escalating political conflict, cumulative economic hardships and frustration over the collapse of public services are boiling over triggered by the power outages.

While overall economic indicators such as economic growth rates may not look entirely bleak, public discontent has surged due to youth unemployment exceeding 37% and high inflation centered on food prices.

Sahar Mekmèche, a team leader at the US-based think tank Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, pointed out that citizens feel their lives are regressing, noting that the suspension of electricity and water supplies has reached a level unprecedented in modern Tunisian history.

While President Saied raised the possibility of sabotage behind the power outages and launched investigations into electricity and water officials, labor unions and experts have pointed to structural underinvestment and financial distress as the root causes.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)