Kaïs Saïed takes on everyone. After the Tunisian president had ousted the government on Sunday, he cleaned up the state apparatus and did not spare the entrepreneurs either. In his election campaign two years ago, Saïed recommended himself as the fearless fighter against rampant corruption, which most Tunisians consider to be one of the greatest problems in their country. At a meeting with the employers' association Utica on Wednesday evening, he accused several hundred entrepreneurs of having "plundered public funds" and owed the Tunisian state a total of around four billion euros. Saïed referred to the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Office and Corruption. The President offered the 460 businessmen an out-of-court reconciliation if they repay the money,from which the previously neglected regions of the country should benefit.

Hans-Christian Roessler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, based in Madrid.

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Such announcements should help its popularity - if the corruption procedures really get going, which are often long running.

The press can hardly keep up with his activism.

He called on the traders to cut food prices and put the head of the national state television broadcaster Wataniya in front of the door: Mohamed Dahech had two representatives of civil society who were guests on a television program banned from the studios.

The President accused him of wanting to cause trouble.

The protests have died down

Saïed also dismissed the military prosecutor. At the same time, he had further corruption investigations announced - even against the Tunisian anti-corruption authority for embezzling state funds, against the “Truth Commission”, which is supposed to deal with the dictatorship past, and against the airline Tunisair for irregularities in the purchase of engines.

A survey by the Ehmrod Institute showed that 87 percent of Tunisians approve of the president's decisions. 86 percent are for the suspension of parliamentary activities and 84 percent for the dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Significantly more Tunisians have been looking to the future with more confidence since Sunday than a month ago. The last protests on the streets of Tunis have fallen silent. Only soldiers patrol in front of the sealed off parliament. According to press reports, more supporters of the president than opponents were recently seen at the demonstrations at the beginning of the week.

The Islamist Ennahda party meanwhile withdrew its call for new protest demonstrations and adopted a more conciliatory tone. Initially, the Islamists called for people to defend themselves against the president's “coup”. But the appeal went largely unheard; abroad, only the Turkish government supported this position. During the demonstrations on Sunday, some of which were violent, it was already evident how little support Ennahda still has in the population. Several party's offices were attacked. Now the Tunisian Islamists are also campaigning for a national dialogue, for which the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood is campaigning.

The president has long targeted his political rivals from Ennahda - the largest party in parliament. He wants to press ahead with the corruption investigation that the public prosecutor launched in mid-July not only against Ennahda, but also against two other parties: against “Qalb Tounes” of media entrepreneur Nabil Karoui - the second largest party in the country - and the “Aish Tounsi” movement. It is about the suspicion of "funding from abroad and the acceptance of funds of unknown origin during the 2019 election campaign". The Court of Auditors had previously dealt with these allegations. If MPs from these parties are convicted, they face heavy fines and a five-year ban from running for parliament.

That would weaken the president's challengers should there be early elections, which Ennahda and other parties have proposed as a solution to the political crisis. Other organizations want the president to present at least a binding "roadmap" for his future path, while France urges Saïed to appoint a new government as soon as possible.