What happened in Tunisia was a coup

Democratic transitions do not normally involve the storming of media offices.

When Tunisia’s President Kais Saied announced on Sunday his decision to invoke Article 80 of the country’s constitution, he was doing what he had publicly threatened to do for a while. Using the article, which allows the president to take “necessary measures” when the country is “in a state of imminent danger”, Saeid dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament. Prior to Sunday’s announcement, Saied had on numerous occasions insisted that Tunisia’s 2014 constitution is a flawed text, that the current distribution of powers can only result in a political deadlock, and especially that the country’s worsening economic and public health challenges are caused by the corruption and recklessness of the biggest party in parliament, Ennahda. Many Tunisians believed Saied’s claims.