In Tunisia, a rejection of the system that has developed over the past decade does not necessarily embrace one-man rule. As Mr. Sayeed arrested more opponents and took more control, suspending most of the constitution last month and forfeiting the sole right to make laws, more Tunisians – especially the secular, affluent people – have become restless.
“Someone had to do something, but now it’s derailing,” said Aza Bel Jafar, 67, a pharmacist in the upscale Tunis suburb of La Marsa. She said she initially supported Mr Saeed’s actions, partly out of fear of the Ennahda, the Islamist party that dominates parliament and blames many Tunisians for the country’s ills.
“I hope there will be no more Islamism,” she said, “but I am not for dictatorship either.”
Some pro-democracy Tunisians hold on to the idea that the younger generation will not readily surrender the freedoms they have grown up with.
“We haven’t invested in a democratic culture for 10 years without doing anything,” said Zahor Ben Mbarek, Syed’s former friend and aide. “One day, they will see that it is indeed their freedom in danger, and they will change their mind.”