Kais Saied
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Kais Saied ( ar, قَيس سَعيد; born 22 February 1958) is a Tunisian politician, jurist, and retired law professor, and currently the 8th
President of Tunisia The president of Tunisia, officially the president of the Tunisian Republic ( ar, رئيس الجمهورية التونسية), is the head of state of Tunisia. Tunisia is a presidential republic, whereby the president is the head of state an ...
since October 2019. He was president of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law from 1995 to 2019. Having worked in various legal and academic roles since the 1980s, Saied joined the 2019 presidential election as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
supported by
Ennahda The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Fou ...
and others across the political spectrum. Running on a
populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
platform with little campaigning, Saied sought to appeal to younger voters, pledged to combat corruption and supported improving the electoral system. He won the second round of the election with 72.71% of the vote, defeating
Nabil Karoui Nabil Karoui ( ar, نبيل القروي; born 1 August 1963) is a Tunisian people, Tunisian politician and businessman. One of the key figures in the Tunisian media landscape, Karoui is CEO of Karoui & Karoui World and owner of the Tunisian tel ...
, and was sworn in as president on 23 October 2019. In January 2021,
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
began against Mechiachi’s government in response to alleged police brutality, economic hardship and the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On 25 July 2021, Saied dismissed the parliament and dismissed
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Hichem Mechichi Hichem Mechichi ( ar, هشام المشيشي; born January 1974) is a Tunisia, Tunisian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tunisia, from 2020 to 2021, when he was dismissed by President Kais Saied. He held the post of Ministry of the ...
, executing a successful self-coup. Since the self-coup, Saied oversaw the dismissal of judiciary and arrest of politicians. He ruled by decree until he was successful in passing a new
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
which granted him more powers and called snap
legislative elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
which resulted in a record low turnout.


Early life

Kais Saied is the son of Moncef Saied and Zakia Bellagha from
Béni Khiar Béni Khiar is a town and commune in the Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 16,992. One of beautiful towns in Nabeul with beautiful beach, great weather especially in the summer people come from all over the country an ...
(
Cap Bon Cape Bon ("Good Cape") is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia, also known as Ras at-Taib ( ar, الرأس الطيب), Sharīk Peninsula, or Watan el Kibli; Cape Bon is also the name of the northernmost point on the peninsula, also known as Ra ...
). According to Saied, his late father protected the young Tunisian-born mixed Jewish-Berber Muslim
Gisèle Halimi Gisèle Halimi (born Zeiza Gisèle Élise Taïeb; 27 July 1927 – 28 July 2020) was a Tunisian-French lawyer, politician, essayist and Feminism in France, feminist activist. Biography Zeiza Gisèle Élise Taïeb was born in La Goulette, Tunisi ...
from the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
. His mother, although educated, is a housewife. His family is of rather modest origin but intellectual and a member of the middle class. His paternal uncle, Hicham Saïed, was the first pediatric surgeon in Tunisia, known for having separated two
conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''Uterus, in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher in ...
in the 1970s. Kaïs Saïed completed his secondary studies at
Sadiki College Sadiki College, also known as ''Collège Sadiki'' ( aeb, المدرسة الصادقية, "El-Sadqiya High School"), is a '' lycée'' (high school) in Tunis, Tunisia. It was established in 1875. Associations formed by its alumni played a major rol ...
.


Professional career

A jurist by formation, he is a specialist in
constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...
, and
secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law between 1990 and 1995 then vice-president of the association since 1995. Director of the public law department at the
University of Sousse The University of Sousse ( ar, جامعة سوسة) is a public university in Sousse, Tunisia. History The University of Sousse was created in 2004 from a division of the University of the Center, which had been created in 1991 from the Univers ...
between 1994 and 1999, then at the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis of the
University of Carthage The University of Carthage ( ar, جامعة قرطاج) is a university located in Tunis, Tunisia, and was founded in 1988. Organization University of Carthage is formed by 21 institutions under single-supervision and 12 under joint-supervision ...
from 1999 to 2018, he was a member of the group of experts of the General Secretariat of the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
between 1989 and 1990, expert at the Arab Institute for Human Rights from 1993 to 1995 and member of the committee of experts responsible for revising the draft
Tunisian Constitution The Constitution of Tunisia is the supreme law of the Tunisian Republic. The constitution is the framework for the organization of the Tunisian government and for the relationship of the federal government with the governorates, citizens, and ...
in 2014. He was also a member of the scientific council of several commissions academics. While a visiting professor at several Arab universities, in 2013 he refused to be part of the commission of experts whose mission was to find a legal solution to the problem of the
Independent High Authority for Elections The Independent High Authority for Elections ( ar, الهيئة العليا المستقلة للانتخابات ', french: Instance supérieure indépendante pour les élections or ISIE ) is a government agency in charge of organizing and super ...
. He retired in 2018.


Political career


Political ascent

From 2013 to 2014, Kais Saied participated in several political clubs and meetings, which bring together young people. In 2016, the Mouassissoun movement was created to support Saied's action and projects.


2019 presidential campaign

Saied was one of the first declared candidates in the 2019 Tunisian presidential election. Running as an
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
, he has sought to appeal to younger voters. One of his policies included support for allowing citizens to recall their elected officials. Saied suggested to voters that many of Tunisia's current issues were due to "non-respect for many
constitutional laws Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in feder ...
". He presented a plan to combat corruption, whether it is "moral or financial". Saied was supported by both Islamists and leftists. In a June 2019 interview with the newspaper ''Acharaâ Al Magharibi'', Saied announced his support for the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. He also made statements that public expression of
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
is financed and encouraged by foreign countries, telling the paper: He has taken conservative positions on women's issues as well, coming out against gender equality in inheritance issues, in accordance with the interpretation of religious law. Kais Saied is against normalisation of relations with Israel, saying that Israel is at war with the
Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...
, and any
Muslim leader Islamic religious leaders have traditionally been people who, as part of the clerisy, mosque, or government, performed a prominent role within their community or nation. However, in the modern contexts of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries ...
who normalizes his or her country's relationship with the
Zionists Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
should be tried for treason. He said his country has no problem with Jews and that Tunisians including his father protected Jews during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Saied has also stated that he is in favor of a
decentralised Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...
, three-tier, indirect manner of electing national legislative representatives, some elements of
direct democracy Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate decides on policy initiatives without legislator, elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently establishe ...
, and believes that local representatives should be elected based on
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
and its underlying structure rather than
political ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...
. Due to his relative obscurity and lack of campaigning, several of his positions were not well-defined aside from his social conservatism. Despite being supported by
Ennahdha The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Foun ...
in the election and holding socially conservative positions, Saied did not describe himself as an Islamist and had advisers from across the
political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...
. He also is not in favor of adding religious elements to the constitution, stating that these were only his personal beliefs. Several media sources referred to Saied as "
RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferre ...
", given his monotonous voice, his use of
Standard Arabic Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or Modern Written Arabic (MWA), terms used mostly by linguists, is the variety of standardized, literary Arabic that developed in the Arab world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; occasionally, it also refe ...
rather than Tunisian dialect, and his focus on law and order issues. On the campaign trail, Saied portrayed himself as a man of the people, somewhat similarly to
Nabil Karoui Nabil Karoui ( ar, نبيل القروي; born 1 August 1963) is a Tunisian people, Tunisian politician and businessman. One of the key figures in the Tunisian media landscape, Karoui is CEO of Karoui & Karoui World and owner of the Tunisian tel ...
, another populist candidate. Saied received 620,711 votes in the first round of the 2019 Tunisian presidential election, coming in first place, and moved on to face Karoui in the second round. He was announced on 14 October as the new President of Tunisia, winning the second round, receiving 2,777,931 votes equivalent to 72.71% of the vote. He took office nine days later, becoming only the second president who was not an heir to the legacy of the country's founding president,
Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of T ...
. The prime minister then had two months to create a coalition.


President of Tunisia

Saied was sworn in as Tunisia's president on 23 October 2019. He is the first president born after the country gained independence from
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in 1956.


Transition and investiture

The results of the presidential election were proclaimed identically by the
Independent High Authority for Elections The Independent High Authority for Elections ( ar, الهيئة العليا المستقلة للانتخابات ', french: Instance supérieure indépendante pour les élections or ISIE ) is a government agency in charge of organizing and super ...
on 17 October. On the same day, Kaïs Saïed chose his brother Naoufel, also a professor of constitutional law, to appoint the advisers and members of the presidential cabinet. The office of the
Assembly of the Representatives of the People The Assembly of the People's Representatives ( ar, مجلس نواب الشعب ', french: Assemblée des représentants du peuple; ARP) is Tunisia's legislative branch of government. The unicameral Assembly replaced the Constituent Assembly and ...
met on 18 October and fixed the oath on 23 October. This date corresponds to the maximum duration of the presidential interim of 90 days. On 23 October, at the Presidential Palace of Carthage, after taking his oath before the outgoing Assembly, during which he promises to fight against
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
and its causes, as well as to guarantee the gains of Tunisian women, while strengthening his economic and
social rights Economic, social and cultural rights, (ESCR) are socio-economic human rights, such as the right to education, right to housing, right to an adequate standard of living, right to health, victims' rights and the right to science and culture. Eco ...
, he sees the interim president, Mohamed Ennaceur, transferring presidential powers to him.


First steps

From a practical point of view, he refused to stay at the presidential palace of Carthage, preferring his villa in Mnihla, located in the governorate of Ariana. On 30 October, he appointed diplomat Tarek Bettaïeb as head of the presidential cabinet, General Mohamed Salah Hamdi as national security adviser, while Tarek Hannachi heads the protocol. Abderraouf Bettaïeb is Minister-Advisor to the President of the Republic, Rachida Ennaifer in charge of communication, while Nadia Akacha is responsible for legal affairs.


Government formation

The government being semi-presidential, Kais Saied had a week after his inauguration to instruct the party which took the lead in the legislative elections to form a government. The latter then has a month to obtain the confidence of the Assembly of People's Representatives. On 15 November 2019, he appointed
Habib Jemli Habib Jemli or Habib Jomli ( ar, الحبيب الجملي; born 28 March 1959). is a Tunisian politician. He was the Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2014. He is an independent but is close to Ennahdha. He was appo ...
, the candidate for
Ennahdha The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Foun ...
, to the post of head of government and charged him with forming a cabinet. On 10 January 2020, the Assembly rejected the composition of the government, which was also subject to delays when it was announced. Saied therefore had ten days to appoint a new head of government. On 20 January 2020, he appointed
Elyes Fakhfakh Elyes Fakhfakh ( ar, إلياس الفخفاخ; born 1972) is a Tunisian politician. He served as the Minister of Tourism and, starting on 19 of December 2012, as the Minister of Finances as well, under Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali.Asma GhribiEly ...
. His government was announced on 15 February, but Ennahdha, whose ministers were announced there, announced that he would not vote for confidence because of the non-participation of
Heart of Tunisia Heart of Tunisia ( ar, قلب تونس, Berber: Ul en Tunest, french: Au cœur de la Tunisie) is a Tunisian political party founded on 20 June 2019 by lawyer Houda Knani, a former member of the Free Patriotic Union. The party's candidate for the ...
. A slightly modified version of the government, but without the participation of Heart of Tunisia, was announced on 19 February; Ennahdha, fearing a dissolution, voted to accept the government. On 27 February, the Assembly of People's Representatives granted confidence to the government. In June 2020, according to
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
, "an independent member of Parliament published documents indicating that Fakhfakh owned shares in companies that won deals worth 44 million dinars". Fakhfakh denied any wrongdoing. On 15 July 2020, he resigned. On 25 July 2020, Saïed appointed
Hichem Mechichi Hichem Mechichi ( ar, هشام المشيشي; born January 1974) is a Tunisia, Tunisian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tunisia, from 2020 to 2021, when he was dismissed by President Kais Saied. He held the post of Ministry of the ...
head of government, with the task of forming a government in one month and obtaining the confidence of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People. Later on, he assumed office on 2 September 2020.


Self-coup

On 25 July 2021, in light of violent demonstrations against the government demanding the improvement of basic services and amid a growing COVID-19 outbreak, Saied suspended parliament for thirty days and relieved the
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Hichem Mechichi Hichem Mechichi ( ar, هشام المشيشي; born January 1974) is a Tunisia, Tunisian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tunisia, from 2020 to 2021, when he was dismissed by President Kais Saied. He held the post of Ministry of the ...
from his duties, waiving the immunity of the parliament members and ordering the military to close the parliament house. Saied's actions, which included relieving the prime minister of his duties, assuming the executive authority, suspending the Parliament and closing the offices of some foreign news agencies, was classed by scholars as a self-coup, as he disregarded Article 80 of the Tunisian constitution, which states that before raising an emergency state, the president must consult his prime minister and the head of the Parliament, and even then, the Parliament cannot be suspended. There however was no constitutional court in Tunisia to offer jurisdiction in his interpretation of the constitution. The president's decisions were also denounced by human rights organizations and considered by several foreign media outlets and Tunisian political entities as a
self-coup A self-coup, also called autocoup (from the es, autogolpe), is a form of coup d'état in which a nation's head, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means. The leader may dissolve or render powerless ...
. The self-coup came after a series of protests against the Ennahda-led government, economic difficulties, and the collapse of the Tunisian health system. On 24 August 2021, Saied extended the suspension of parliament, although the constitution states the parliament can only be suspended for a month, raising concerns in some quarters about the future of democracy in the country.On 22 September, Saied announced that he will
rule by decree Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged promulgation of law by a single person or group. It allows the ruler to make or change laws without legislative approval. While intended to allow rapid responses to a crisis, rule ...
and ignore parts of the constitution. Saied named
Najla Bouden Najla Bouden ( ar, نجلاء بودن), also known as Najla Bouden Romdhane (; born 29 June 1958), is a Tunisian geologist and university professor who is serving as the Prime Minister of Tunisia. She took office on 11 October 2021, making her t ...
as Prime Minister on 29 September 2021. Protests against his consolidation of power continued in October 2021. On 13 December 2021, Saied extended the suspension of the parliament until a new election takes place, and announced a nationwide public consultation that would take place from 1 January until 20 March 2022 to gather suggestions for constitutional and other reforms after which Saied would appoint a committee of experts to draft a new constitution, to be ready by June ahead of the referendum that will take place on 25 July 2022. He said that new parliamentary elections will be held on 17 December 2022, after going through the referendum and preparing a new electoral system. On 5 January 2022, the Tunisian judiciary referred 19 predominantly high-ranking politicians to court for "electoral violations" allegedly committed during the 2019 presidential elections. Among the 19 were four former prime ministers,
Youssef Chahed Youssef Chahed ( ar, يوسف الشاهد; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Tunisia from 27 August 2016 to 27 February 2020. Previously he was Secretary of State for Fishing from 2015 to ...
,
Elyes Fakhfakh Elyes Fakhfakh ( ar, إلياس الفخفاخ; born 1972) is a Tunisian politician. He served as the Minister of Tourism and, starting on 19 of December 2012, as the Minister of Finances as well, under Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali.Asma GhribiEly ...
,
Mehdi Jomaa Mehdi Jomaa ( ar, مهدي جمعة; born 21 April 1962) is a Tunisian engineer and was the acting Prime Minister of Tunisia from 29 January 2014 to 6 February 2015. He was chosen on 14 December 2013. Jomaa was Minister of Industry in the Ali ...
and
Hamadi Jebali Hamadi Jebali ( ar, حمادي الجبالي, '; born 12 January 1949) is a Tunisian engineer, Muslim politician and journalist who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from December 2011 to March 2013. He was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Mov ...
, as well as former president
Moncef Marzouki Mohamed Moncef Marzouki ( ar, محمد المنصف المرزوقي; ''Muhammad al-Munṣif al-Marzūqī'', born 7 July 1945) is a Tunisian politician who served as the fifth president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014. Through his career he has been ...
, and the head of the Ennahda party movement, Rachid Ghannouchi. In February 2022, Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council, the body charged with
judicial independence Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan inte ...
.According to the country's justice minister, the Tunisian President has indicated that rather than eliminating the Supreme Judicial Council, he will restructure it. This comes days after the country's decision to disband the highest judicial body drew international condemnation. As a result of the President's decisions, more than two hundred judges and attorneys in black robes demonstrated outside the main court in Tunisia's capital on Thursday, 10 February 2022. On Sunday, 13 February 2022, Saied issued a proclamation appointing a temporary Supreme Judiciary Council. A
constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was scheduled for 25 July 2022. After the referendum results indicated that 90% of voters supported Saied, he declared victory and promised that Tunisia will enter the new phase after he got increased power, some of which was unchecked.After the
parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, the main opposition coalition called for Kais Saied to resign after fewer than 9% of eligible voters took part in the elections. Since the self-coup, several arrests against high-ranking politicians such as former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, former Prime Minister
Hamadi Jebali Hamadi Jebali ( ar, حمادي الجبالي, '; born 12 January 1949) is a Tunisian engineer, Muslim politician and journalist who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from December 2011 to March 2013. He was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Mov ...
and former President Moncef Marzouki and many more have been made.


Personal life

Kais Saied is married to the judge Ichraf Chebil, whom he met when she was a
law student Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...
in
Sousse Sousse or Soussa ( ar, سوسة, ; Berber:''Susa'') is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf ...
. He is the father of three children (two daughters and a son: Sarah, Mouna and Amrou).


Honours


National honours


Foreign honors


Other Honors

* 2021 : Honorary degree from
Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...
* 2021 :
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
' Honor Plaque * 2022 : Honorary Gold Medal of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers


Publications

Saied is the author of a number of works on constitutional law, including: * ''Tunisian Political Texts and Documents'' () ith_Abdelfattah_Amor.html" ;"title="Abdelfattah_Amor.html" ;"title="ith Abdelfattah Amor">ith Abdelfattah Amor">Abdelfattah_Amor.html" ;"title="ith Abdelfattah Amor">ith Abdelfattah Amor published by the Center of Administrative, Political, and Social Studies and Research, Tunis, 1987 * ''General Provisions of the Constitution'' () [direction], pub. Faculty of Juridical, Political, and Social Sciences of Tunis, Tunis, 2010


Miscellaneous

After assuming the presidency, Kais Saied garnered significant media attention for his handwritten official letters in fine
Maghrebi script Maghrebi script or Maghribi script () refers to a loosely related family of Arabic scripts that developed in the Maghreb (North Africa), al-Andalus (Iberia), and ''Bilad as-Sudan'' (the West African Sahel). Maghrebi script is directly derived f ...
.


Notes and references


External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saied, Kais 1958 births Living people Tunis University faculty University of Sousse faculty Tunisian jurists Presidents of Tunisia 21st-century Tunisian politicians