By John Ikani
President Kais Saied’s unexplained absence from public view for almost two weeks has raised concerns about his health and the potential for a power vacuum in a country that has become increasingly authoritarian since his rise to power.
For almost two weeks, the 65-year-old leader was nowhere to be seen, prompting activists, the opposition, and media outlets to demand answers about his “disappearance.”
After intense public pressure, Saied reemerged on Monday to deliver a statement to Prime Minister Najla Bouden.
The president took the opportunity to quell rumors about his health, which had included whispers of a stroke.
He also dismissed talk of a power vacuum, accusing the opposition of attempting to destabilize the country by sowing chaos.
Despite his reassuring words, the mystery of the president’s whereabouts persists.
In an 11-minute video posted on Facebook by the Tunisian presidency, Saied referred to his “temporary absence” but didn’t disclose its cause.
Analysts say his silence is worrisome given the significant power he wields, leaving supporters and critics alike on edge.
According to Intisar Fakir, Senior Fellow and Director of the North Africa and Sahel program at the Middle East Institute, “He holds all the power, so his whereabouts and state of health are of immense importance equally for those who support him and those who oppose and want to see him gone.”
Former Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, who belongs to the opposition Ennahda party, tweeted on Saturday that the president was lying in a military hospital “in an atmosphere of complete secrecy,” but didn’t provide details on how he obtained that information. T
Tunisian Health Minister Ali Murrabit walked away without answering questions from reporters about the president’s health, according to a video posted in local media.
The Tunisian presidency did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Disappearing acts by heads of state are not unusual in North African authoritarian regimes, says Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at New York University Abu Dhabi, who focuses on Tunisia.
Marks notes that former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was ousted in 2019 after massive protests, was not seen in public for years.
Nonetheless, Saied’s thirteen-day absence is a first for Tunisia in almost a decade.
Marks believes the country’s return to dictatorship has made this sort of occurrence more likely, saying, “This is the first time since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution for democracy that we have seen a head of state perform a disappearing act like this. But it is not at all surprising given Tunisia’s return to dictatorship.”
Tunisia, once considered the sole democracy to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, passed a new constitution last year that cemented Saied’s one-man rule and eliminated the last vestiges of democracy in the country.
Tunisia is also facing an economic crisis that started with the Covid-19 pandemic and a political crisis since July 2021, when Saied dissolved the government and suspended parliament.
The president has referred to parliament as “an institution of absurdity” and a “state within a state.”
The opposition remains disunited, making it difficult to mount a coordinated response to Saied’s power grab.
“Tunisia’s pro-democracy, anti-Saied opposition remains extremely disunited, fundamentally fractured,” said Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at New York University Abu Dhabi who focuses on Tunisia.
Opposition movements, led by Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front (NSF), are demanding that the government address concerns about the president’s health and the risks of a power vacuum given Saied’s recent accumulation of power.
They fear that, should the president become incapacitated, there is no clear plan in place for the transfer of power.
“There is a constitutional gap… and we won’t sit back and watch while this vacuum is filled by one of the (foreign) powers,” Chebbi said.
However, analysts say that the president has surrounded himself with undemocratic allies who are not interested in solving national problems through democratic elections, leaving Tunisia in a giant, opaque mess.
