As political and economic protests have consumed Africa in recent months, Tunisia, the birth of the Arab Spring, appears to be moving in the opposite direction ahead of presidential elections in October. President Kais Saied fired his prime minister this week and an opposition candidate was sentenced to two years imprisonment for criticizing the lack of transparency in the country’s electoral process. This, as Tunisia faces high food and energy prices, according to the Associates Press. Omar Khadr, a Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey intelligence analyst, tells VOA’s James Butty, the dismissal of the prime minister is not surprising because President Saied wants to consolidate power ahead of the elections.
