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But while the North African nation may have achieved many of the trappings of a democracy after toppling its dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, it has struggled with high unemployment, a sluggish economy, corruption and now the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many wondering whether the revolution was worth it.

Tunisia has suffered for years from high unemployment, poverty and economic paralysis that led many to question the gains of the 2011 revolution, and the coronavirus pandemic has recently overwhelmed the health system, with Tunisians dying of Covid-19 at the highest rate in the Middle East and Africa.

Its myriad problems have been compounded by the growing frictions in recent months as Mr. Saied faced off in a power struggle with Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and the speaker of Parliament, Rachid Ghannouchi.

Tunisia’s 2014 Constitution divides executive power between the president, the prime minister and the speaker of Parliament, and Mr. Saied has been hinting for months at expanding his authority as president by refusing to swear in ministers and blocking the formation of a constitutional court, raising alarm among opponents and political analysts.

In response to chaos in Tunisia’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout last week, Mr. Saied stripped control of Tunisia’s coronavirus response from the health ministry and handed it to the military.