Tunisia commemorates anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Opposition decries democratic backsliding

Thirteen years after they toppled the country’s longtime dictator, Tunisians are protesting President Kais Saied for democratic backsliding

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Thirteen years after they toppled the country’s longtime dictator, Tunisians are protesting President Kais Saied for ushering in what they see as democratic backsliding, blaming him for quashing the aims of the revolution that kicked off the Arab Spring in 2011.

Hundreds of members of opposition parties marched through the streets of the country's capital on Sunday, commemorating the revolution and expressing outrage at Saied's rule. They carried Palestinian and Tunisian flags, chanting for freedom, jobs, and dignity, while mourning the state of the current political landscape in Tunisia.

Though many said they were dismayed by the direction that Tunisia's first-term president has taken the country, the protest was smaller than in years past, reflecting political apathy and an opposition struggling to remain unified as November’s presidential election approaches.

“After a successful start, Tunisia’s democratic transition today has broken down,” Ahmed Chebbi, the president of the National Salvation Front, told The Associated Press. “Saied has exploited the citizens’ disappointment and the divisions that have taken hold among political elites.”

Such criticism has become commonplace over the past two and a half years, throughout which Saied has temporarily suspended Tunisia's parliament, rewritten the country's constitution and imprisoned more than 20 political opponents for allegedly undermining state security.