Tarek Amara
2 minute read
TUNIS, July 26 (Reuters) - Soon after Tunisia's President Kais Saied said he had ousted the government, tens of thousands of people poured into city streets to applaud a move decried by his critics as a coup.
As they cheered, ululated, honked car horns and let off fireworks, Said's supporters revelled in his decision and in the perceived downfall of the moderate Islamist Ennahda, the biggest party in parliament and his main political opponent.
It showed how a decade after Tunisia's 2011 revolution that introduced democracy, street activism remains a potentially powerful force - and one that could lead to confrontation after Ennahda called for people to protest against Saied.