By abolishing whole sections of the constitution on 22 September, then appointing a non-politician, academic Najla Bouden, to form a mostly technocratic government on 11 October, Kais Saied has made it clear that he intends to remain solely in charge of the country. To stay at the helm, the new "strongman in Carthage" has surrounded himself with a tightknit circle of advisers and friends. But he is having trouble keeping this arrangement stable. And the army, on which he increasingly depends, has
Inner Circle | Tunisia
Kais Saied rules supreme but is more isolated than ever
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While the head of state may have effectively placed himself at the centre of power on 25 July when he rejected the parliamentary system born from the 2011 revolution, his entourage of advisers and friends at Carthage Palace has since become a hotbed of clan rivalries.
