The New York Times: The General Labor Union has become the strongest opponent of the Tunisian President

The New York Times reported in

that the Tunisian General Labor Union has become the strongest opponent of President Kais Saied in the country, and that his general strike on Thursday represented the most visible challenge yet to the president's "authoritarian" campaign to concentrate power in his hands, and threatens to deepen the political and economic crisis in the country. Tunisia.

The report presented the breadth of the strike and its coverage of large sectors of companies and government facilities, the broad participation of workers and employees in it, and the suspension of buses, trains, airports, government offices and public companies, noting that the union represents more than one million workers.

The report also stated that the strike aimed to alleviate the suffering of workers and stop the economic pressures on them that the government is implementing to help it obtain a loan from the International Monetary Fund.

The report said that the union has also become the strongest opponent of President Said because of his political plans, which critics, analysts, and Western officials have warned of the dangers of dismantling Tunisia's nascent democracy.

He referred to Saeed's work on increasing the powers of the presidency such as ruling by decree, controlling the formerly independent judicial and electoral bodies and marginalizing political parties, and his planning to rewrite a constitution that is expected to give the presidency greater powers.

However, the report said that opinion polls show that Tunisians still trust Kais Saied more than the political elites they blame for the disruption of the past decade, and made clear that the UGTT strike has not turned into a political movement.

Tunisian political analyst Tarek Al-Kahlawi was quoted as saying that the strike "did not enjoy much support from the population," noting that it did not ignite street demonstrations or other forms of expression of solidarity, and that the union failed to turn its strike into a political protest.

The newspaper concluded its report by suggesting that chaos will intensify in Tunisia with the increase in opposition to President Said, without turning around a clear alternative to his rule.