Tunisia’s president is inaugurated for a second term following a crackdown on his opponents

By Associated Press

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has been inaugurated for a second term, following a monthslong crackdown and string of arrests against his political opponents.

Weeks after winning reelection with a 90.7% share of the vote, the 66-year-old former law professor in his inauguration speech Monday called for a “cultural revolution” to combat unemployment, fight terrorism and root out corruption.

“The aim is to build a country where everyone can live in dignity,” Saied said in a speech addressing members of Tunisia’s parliament.

Saied’s Oct. 7 reelection came after a turbulent first term during which he suspended the country’s parliament, rewrote its post-Arab Spring constitution and jailed dozens of his critics in politics, media, business and civil society. He has justified elements of the crackdown as necessary to fight corruption and enemies of the state, using populism to appeal to Tunisians disillusioned with the direction that those who preceded