Title: America: The President of Tunisia Has Weakened Democratic Checks and Balances in His Country

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf noted on Thursday that Tunisian President Kais Saied has raised "serious concerns" about the direction Tunisia is heading by adopting measures that have weakened democratic checks and balances. Leaf stated that after years of efforts to build a democratic system, "what we've seen in the past year and a half is the government taking Tunisia in a very different direction." She added, "There were several measures taken by the president last year that have clearly undermined the fundamental principles of checks and balances." This clearly reflects Washington's criticism of Saied's direction thus far.