TUNIS, Tunisia: Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, unexpectedly replaced the interior and social affairs ministers on Saturday night in a sudden cabinet reshuffle. This move follows a series of arrests that have sparked concerns about the health of the country’s young democracy.
Khaled Nouri was appointed as the new interior minister, replacing Kamel Feki, who was previously seen as close to the president. Kamel Madouri, a technocrat, has taken over as the social affairs minister from Malek Zahi, another figure considered loyal to Saied. Additionally, Sofiene Ben Sadok was named to the newly created position of secretary of state for national security under the interior minister.
The reshuffle follows the recent arrest of around 10 human rights activists, lawyers, and journalists over the past two weeks. These arrests have drawn criticism from the European Union, the United States, and France, prompting President Saied to condemn what he termed “unacceptable foreign interference.”
The cabinet changes were announced a day after hundreds of Tunisians protested in the capital, chanting against the recent arrests and accusing Saied of authoritarianism. Protesters specifically targeted Decree 54, a 2022 law that bans “spreading false news” and has been used to prosecute over 60 journalists, lawyers, and opposition figures.
Two Tunisian media figures were recently sentenced to one-year jail terms under Decree 54 for making critical comments. Protesters chanted, “Down with the decree,” and “Dictator Kais (Saied), it’s your turn now,” referencing the Arab Spring uprising that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019, seized extensive powers in a 2021 political maneuver and has since ruled by decree. The international community and domestic critics are increasingly worried about the erosion of democratic norms in Tunisia under his administration.
