Democratization as a pathway to populism: The case of Tunisian public discourse from 2011 to 2021

Abstract

Since 2011, the Tunisian democratic transition was widely presented as a model for success and moderation. Therefore, most foreign observers were shocked when the Tunisian street enthusiastically welcomed President Kais Said’s decision on 25 July 2021 to declare the state of exception and to suspend the Parliament, thus bringing to a halt Tunisian democratization. The popularity of such decisions raises serious questions about the reality of Tunisia’s success, but also about the nature of its democratization. Infested with deep ideological hostility and distrust, this experience suffered from a lack of political courtesy and mutual respect. Coupled with a dangerous tendency towards discursive conflictuality, these conditions weakened the Tunisian pluralist institutions and paved the way to populism.