Described as a self-coup, the move came after a period of political instability marked by a series of protests against the Ennahda-backed government and the collapse of the Tunisian healthcare system amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

[1] The government exclusively consisted of independent technocrats[2] and was supported, although "grudgingly", by the Ennahda party, the biggest parliamentary bloc led by Speaker Rached Ghannouchi.

[9] Saied demanded that Mechichi resign in order for dialogue to take place, but the latter refused to step down, stating that he was "responsible for salvaging a country gripped by political and economic woes".

[15] On the night of 25 July 2021, Saied announced in a televised address the adoption of "extraordinary measures", namely the dismissal of the government, the suspension of parliament and the lifting of its members' parliamentary immunity.

[26] The next day after the coup, Mechichi released a statement on social media in which he announced that he would hand over authority to the next prime minister the President chooses,[20] saying that he won't "play an obstructive role in complicating the situation in Tunisia" and that he will "continue to serve his country under all circumstances".

[34] Former president Moncef Marzouki, who oversaw the transition to democracy after the revolution, also rejected the coup, calling it "the beginning of slipping into an even worse situation".

[39] Several countries and supranational bodies reacted with concern to the coup and encouraged a swift return to normal order, including Qatar, Turkey, Germany, France, Spain, the European Union and the United States.

[40][41][42] Greece supported Saied's move, with its foreign minister backing "Tunisia’s efforts to maintain the North African country’s stability from the influence of extremists".

[43] Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also supportive, with influential voices in the three countries celebrating the coup as a "blow to political Islam".

[45] The Arab League issued a statement urging Tunisia to "restore stability and calm and the state’s ability to work effectively to respond to the aspirations and requirements of the people".

[46] A spokesman for Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres called on both sides to "exercise restraint, refrain from violence and ensure that the situation remains calm".

Tunisia had requested a three-year $4 billion loan "to help stabilise its balance of payments position after its current account deficit widened to 7.1 percent of GDP last year.

[62] On 30 June 2022, Saied unveiled a draft for a new constitution,[63] which introduced sweeping changes and increased the power of the presidency at the expense of the legislature, which he split into two chambers, and the judiciary.

[74] Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi has been summoned by courts several times including in July 2022 and November 2022 for money laundering,[75][76] and in February 2023 for "inciting Tunisians to kill each other".

[76] On 3 October 2023, Abir Moussi, leader of the opposition Free Destourian Party was arrested on the gates of the Carthage Palace while trying to get legal documents from the registry office of the presidency of the republic, two days later a judge ordered her imprisonment;[78] she has since been in the women's prison in Mannouba.

[79] According to a public letter from Abir Moussi, she suffers from degrading treatment and from severe pain in many parts of her body due to her being physically assaulted by policemen during her arrest.