In late May, Tunisian President Kais Saied once again made headlines by being his predictably unpredictable self: He fired two of his ministers out of the blue.
This time, the hammer fell on Interior Minister Kamel Feki and Minister of Social Affairs Malek Zahi, two of Saied’s close allies. As on previous occasions, no justifications for the dismissals were given by the president’s office.
The most recent dismissals came at a time of heightened political tensions in Tunisia. Saied’s authoritarian regime has continued to arrest critics and opposition figures, and he even faced street protests in the capital, Tunis, in May.