Tunisia power cuts provoke protests against president

{"text":[[{"start":7.08,"text":"Rolling power cuts amid soaring temperatures in Tunisia have sparked protests and deepened anger against Kais Saied, the populist president who dismantled the country’s democratic institutions and restored one-man rule."}],[{"start":19.46,"text":"An exceptionally severe recent heatwave with temperatures reaching above 45C drove up demand for power as more people resorted to air conditioning, placing massive pressure on the ageing grid and causing the state electricity company to introduce rolling blackouts."}],[{"start":35.44,"text":"The power outages, sometimes accompanied by water cuts, have provoked public anger, with night-time protests in many places and youths burning tyres and blocking roads."}],[{"start":45.68,"text":"An anti-Saied rally in central Tunis last week, on the anniversary of his 2021 power grab, drew several thousand people calling on him to step down and chanting: “No light, no water, only prison and high prices.”"}],[{"start":59.88,"text":"The mounting disillusionment with Saied’s rule is a sharp contrast with the warm welcome many Tunisians gave his measures to roll back democracy five years ago on the pretext of fighting corruption and ending government mismanagement."}],[{"start":72.56,"text":"His supporters at the time hailed him as a saviour who would end a decade of political chaos and economic decline that followed the 2011 ousting of dictator Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali in a popular uprising. But more recently resentment has been fuelled by a sense that not much has improved under his rule, analysts say."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":91.96,"text":"Electricity and water cuts have been “unprecedented in the modern history of Tunisia”, said Sahar Mechmech, who runs the Inclusive Economies programme at the US-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. “People are not seeing progress but rather we’re actually going backwards . . . They are disillusioned with the promises that were given five years ago.”"}],[{"start":112.36,"text":"She added that the frequency and geographical scope of the protests “showed that the dissatisfaction goes beyond the political or civic elites in the capital. These kinds of protests have been on the uptick since last year.”"}],[{"start":124.24,"text":"Businesses including restaurants, chicken and dairy farms, food shops and factories have suffered losses, she and others said, because of the mostly unscheduled power cuts. Doctors have complained of the impact on hospitals and on patients reliant on medical equipment at home such as oxygen concentrators."}],[{"start":138.76,"text":"Sabrine, a 35-year-old translator who did not want her family name used, said she was applying for jobs abroad because the “future in Tunisia is blurry”. The power cuts had disrupted her work, though she said they were shorter in her privileged area of Tunis than in some places."}],[{"start":156.08,"text":"“People are now being braver about blaming Saied, especially the young,” she said. “Many, including me, realise he was just feeding our hopes and illusions.”"}],[{"start":165.68,"text":"Riccardo Fabiani, north Africa director of the International Crisis Group, said Saied had promised his seizure of power would help “bring back strength and prestige to state institutions, but nothing has really materialised”."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":178,"text":"“The big problem is that public services are gradually collapsing in Tunisia, and this deterioration has become something of a proxy for the general deterioration in the state,” he added."}],[{"start":189.48,"text":"Until Saied restored autocracy in 2021, Tunisia was seen as the only successful example of a democratic transformation to have emerged from the Arab uprisings in 2011."}],[{"start":200.76,"text":"But for many Tunisians, their new political freedoms did not compensate for economic drift and plummeting living standards. They viewed their politicians, including Islamists and secular groups, as opportunists, jockeying for advantage and oblivious of the responsibilities of government."}],[{"start":216.48,"text":"Saied, an austere retired university lecturer who ran as an independent, was elected in 2019 by Tunisians fed up with their leaders. He ran on a populist message to protect the country from the “conspiracies” at home and abroad, and to clean up corruption. His surprise win was seen as a rebuke to the political class."}],[{"start":236.2,"text":"Less than two years later, Saied set about dismantling the system that brought him to office. He concentrated power and launched waves of repression against critics and peaceful political opponents, sending dozens to jail to serve long sentences."}],[{"start":250.36,"text":"Under his rule, unemployment has remained high at 15 per cent, while economic growth at 2.5 per cent in 2025 has been “moderate compared with peers”, according to the World Bank."}],[{"start":261.44,"text":"The heavily indebted country has enough reserves to cover only three months of imports. Tourism, international remittances, agricultural and industrial exports have helped the economy stay afloat but without the momentum needed to create jobs and kick-start prosperity, analysts say."}],[{"start":278,"text":"Saied turned down a $1.9bn loan from the IMF in 2023, saying he would not accept the lender’s diktats. However, he has not offered an alternative economic vision, critics say, often resorting to blaming economic problems on corruption."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":295.02,"text":"Saied has publicly suggested the power cuts may have been caused by sabotage and warned that officials found to “have neglected their responsibilities” would be punished. Judicial authorities are reported to have launched investigations and questioned regional power and water officials in some provinces."}],[{"start":311.84,"text":"This spurred an angry response from Salaheddine Selmi, secretary-general of the powerful Tunisian General Labour Union, who said that blaming state employees for poor public services “does not serve truth or help solve problems”."}],[{"start":325.4,"text":"Hamza Meddeb, research fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, said he believed the real reasons for the problems were a combination of under-investment in generation capacity and the inability to import more gas from Algeria because of the state’s straitened finances."}],[{"start":341.08,"text":"“There has to be a scapegoat,” he said. “There are always traitors and conspirators plotting in dark rooms, not that there is a structural problem.”"}],[{"start":353.71,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785978600_7054.mp3"}