UGTT leader's verdict on five years of Saïed's rule: "the exact opposite of the promises"
On the eve of Republic Day, UGTT secretary-general Slaheddine Selmi delivered an unusually blunt speech, saying the promises of a "new Tunisia", of fighting corruption, reviving development and creating jobs had produced "the exact opposite": falling purchasing power, a soaring cost of living and failing services in health, education, transport, electricity, water, medicines and the social security funds. He blamed the concentration of decision-making and the sidelining of the national organisations and civil society for the collapse of trust, and called for a review of public policy, more investment in state-owned enterprises and a return to dialogue. The UGTT is the largest organised force outside the state and the one interlocutor the presidency has bargained with since 2021, which makes so open a break on a national holiday more than rhetoric.