The U.S. must support a return to democratic rule in Tunisia
Alongside more than 20 organizations, we support the Tunisian people in their efforts to return to democracy, and hope that U.S. assistance will streamline this effort. Tunisia's democratic restoration is a critical test and example of democracy in the whole region, and deserves international support.
We call on the Biden administration to:
Suspend U.S. military assistance until Tunisia is on a path towards democracy.
Work with allies to suspend all non-essential aid, including, immediately, the nearly $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact that requires Tunisia to meet democratic thresholds, until this same condition is met.
Refrain from any high-level meetings with Saied’s government other than to press for the return to democratic order.
Investigate whether President Saied’s use of military prosecutors and tribunals and of security forces in general violate the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act, including the Leahy Law.
Dear Secretary Blinken,
We write to express our deep concern over the failure of the Tunisian government’s return to constitutional order as a result of President Kais Saied’s imposition of a manufactured constitutional crisis. The U.S. and its allies have ample leverage to pressure the Saied government to restore democratic order in Tunisia including calling for an immediate re-opening of the parliament, return to constitutional order, and establishment of a constitutional court consistent with the Tunisian constitution.
The Arab Spring came to life in Tunisia when street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi engaged in self-immolation on December 17, 2010, to protest an authoritarian regime. Tunisians have made hard-won gains over the subsequent decade to establish a long-sought democracy, even as other post-Arab Spring states backslid into dictatorial rule or descended into civil war. But now Tunisia’s delicate democratic experiment is being rapidly reversed after a blatant power grab by its autocratic president Kais Saied since July 25, 2021. Last month, thousands of Tunisians took to the streets to protest against President Saied’s power grab.
We continue to support the Tunisian people in their quest for better democratic outcomes and hope that U.S. assistance will continue to flow to support Tunisia’s return to democracy. Tunisia’s democratic restoration will in fact be a critical test for the whole Middle East and North Africa region, as Tunisia stood to become a model for inclusive democratic governance by bringing together a wide array of political parties, including Islamic parties such as Ennahda, under a constitution.
Senior Biden administration officials have made repeated visits to Tunis to meet with President Saied and consistently called for a return to constitutional order and a return to the rule of law. However, these brief visits have appeared to have little to no effect on President Saied. President Saied’s lack of responsiveness to domestic and international calls for action have been incredibly troubling.
President Saied originally claimed that his anti-democratic usurpation of power would only last for 30 days. But he announced in August 2021 an “indefinite extension” of this “exceptional period,” giving himself near total power in clear violation of the laws and constitution of Tunisia. In September 2021, Saied formally suspended the constitution, announcing that there was “no going back.” He has noted that the parliament will not be reopened and has relied on the military, traditionally a non-political force in Tunisia, and certain police units to prop up his rule.
At a time of existential threats to democracy around the world, American officials should be alarmed at the assault on Tunisia’s democratic institutions. The Biden administration can be doing far more to signal to President Saied that international recognition and aid will be conditioned on democratic behavior. U.S. law prohibits foreign assistance to any country "whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup d'état or decree" or through "a coup d'état or decree in which the military plays a decisive role." The Biden administration has so far failed to correctly characterize Saied’s power grab as a coup. And the administration needs to recognize the stakes of Tunisia’s march away from democracy and match its rhetoric on safeguarding democracies with action on Tunisia.
We call on the Biden administration to:
Suspend U.S. military assistance until Tunisia is on a path towards democracy.
Work with allies to suspend all non-essential aid, including, immediately, the nearly $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact that requires Tunisia to meet democratic thresholds, until this same condition is met.
Refrain from any high-level meetings with Saied’s government other than to press for the return to democratic order.
Investigate whether President Saied’s use of military prosecutors and tribunals and of security forces in general violate the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act, including the Leahy Law.
The current situation in Tunisia risks descending into broader civil unrest and instability. If the Arab Spring taught the world anything, it is that popular democratic aspirations cannot be repressed through brute force forever. We value the Administration’s work to support the restoration of democratic principles in Tunisia; however, the lack of progress over the last several months calls for the suspension of U.S. military assistance until Tunisia is on a path towards democracy. At this critical juncture for Tunisia, the U.S. must firmly align with its democratic values and oppose the coup government in Tunisia.