; Whereas, in November 2014, Tunisia held its first free and fair presidential election since its independence in 1956, with 27 candidates openly competing for the office of president; Whereas longtime politician Beji Caid Essebsi won the election in a runoff with 55 percent of the vote, becoming Tunisia’s first president to be legitimately elected based on universal suffrage since independence; Whereas President Essebsi and the elected parliament faced many difficult challenges, including economic turmoil, terrorist attacks, and public expectations for change; Whereas public disillusionment with the country’s political elites increased amid continued corruption, worsening economic conditions, and devastating acts of terrorism that severely hurt the tourism industry and larger economy; Whereas political outsider and constitutional law professor Kais Saied won the presidential run-off election held on October 13, 2019, and was sworn into office 10 days later in a peaceful transfer of power; Whereas, by 2021, protests in response to police brutality and worsening economic conditions, further exacerbated by the COVID–19 pandemic and related restrictions, occurred across cities in Tunisia, to which the police responded violently; Whereas, in July 2021, President Saied capitalized on unrest to seize power by unilaterally— (1) dismissing Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and his cabinet; (2) suspending Parliament for 30 days; and (3) asserting sweeping executive authority over policymaking and the judiciary without first consulting the government; Whereas, on July 26, 2021, Tunisian security agents entered the headquarters in Tunis of the independent news organization al-Jazeera, and ordered staff to vacate the premises; Whereas, as of November 2022, al-Jazeera’s offices remained closed and its journalism licenses have not been renewed