Five years after Saied’s power grab, Tunisians are no better off

What the report says

In an opinion article published by Al Jazeera on July 27, former US Ambassador to Tunisia Joey Hood argues that Tunisia has not gained economically from President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power, while political freedoms have declined. Hood recalls that Saied suspended parliament on July 27, 2021, ending what was widely viewed as the Arab world’s only functioning constitutional democracy at the time.

Hood writes that he and US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer were sent by the Biden administration in 2021 to assess Saied’s intentions. According to the article, Saied presented his move as a response to public anger over corruption and as consistent with the constitution, but did not clarify a path back to parliamentary rule. Hood says Washington later cut Tunisia’s military assistance allocation by half, and that he returned to Tunis as ambassador in February 2023 with instructions to support a return to representative democracy.

The article describes subsequent arrests of political party figures, followed by pressure on civil society and media. Hood cites Freedom House figures showing Tunisia’s “Freedom in the World” score dropping from 70 in 2020 to 42 in 2026. He also says real GDP growth and unemployment in 2026 are no better than in 2018, while debt-to-GDP rose from about 73 percent to more than 81 percent.

Hood identifies security cooperation as the main area of progress, saying US-backed training and assistance helped Tunisian forces combat terrorist cells. He argues that continued engagement by the US and other partners could help preserve stability while Tunisians seek a way to rebuild political and economic life.