Thousands protest in Tunisia against President Kais Saied in largest demonstration in years

On October 17, 2026, thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of Tunis in the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years. Organized by the UGTT labor union alongside broad opposition and civil society coalitions, demonstrators gathered on Habib Bourguiba Avenue to denounce economic decay, power outages, shortage of goods, and Saied's ongoing concentration of power since 2021.

Mass protest details and turnout

• ▪On October 17, 2026, opposition parties from across Tunisia's political spectrum joined lawyers, doctors, journalists, civil society groups, and unemployed citizens in a unified march against President Kais Saied
• ▪On October 17, 2026, thousands of Tunisians marched in Tunis in the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years, organized by the UGTT labor union and civil society groups
• ▪The October 17, 2026 demonstration led by the UGTT labor union represented a significant challenge to President Kais Saied after years of political divisions had weakened the Tunisian opposition's ability to mobilize large crowds
• ▪Demonstrators during the October 17, 2026 protest against President Kais Saied marched along Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, a focal point of the 2011 protests that triggered the Arab Spring uprisings

Protest demands and slogans

• ▪During the October 17, 2026 rally in Tunis, protesters revived the iconic slogan from Tunisia's 2011 Arab Spring uprising: 'The people want the fall of the regime!'
• ▪Slah Eddine Salmi, head of the UGTT labor union, told protesters during the October 17, 2026 rally against President Kais Saied in Tunis that power cannot be concentrated in the hands of one person
• ▪Protesters at the October 17, 2026 demonstration against President Kais Saied in Tunis raised banners highlighting widespread frustration over unemployment and pollution in Tunisia
• ▪During the October 17, 2026 protest in Tunis, hundreds of police were deployed while demonstrators chanted anti-regime slogans and demanded the release of President Kais Saied's critics and protection of trade union rights

Tunisia's economic crisis

• ▪Tunisia is suffering from an economic crisis characterized by deteriorating public services, recurring water and power cuts, and shortages of essential goods and medicines
• ▪On October 17, 2026, protester Yassine Gharseli traveled from Sfax to Tunis to demonstrate against recurring power and water cuts, stating that Tunisia was collapsing

Background on Kais Saied's rule and response

• ▪In 2021 and 2022, Tunisian President Kais Saied seized broad powers, dissolved parliament, dismissed dozens of judges, and began ruling by decree in actions described by opponents as a coup
• ▪Rights groups state that Tunisian President Kais Saied has intensified crackdowns on civil society, journalists, and political opposition figures
• ▪Tunisian President Kais Saied rejects allegations of dictatorship, stating he is not a dictator and accusing political opponents of engineering economic crises to fuel social unrest