Tunisia declares Dec. 17 national holiday to mark 2011 uprising

Tunisia’s president Kais Saeid on Tuesday commemorated the start of the 2011 uprising that toppled former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, vowing to honour the demands of the revolution.

Saied, an independent academic has made few statements since he took office in November. He took over from the Caid Beji Essebsi government that took over after Ben Ali was ousted.

“Despite the manipulations of opponents and the conspiracies that are prepared in the dark, I will meet your demands, all your demands. You asked for freedom, you will have it. You also asked for dignity,” the president told teeming citizens.

He promised to realise the key demands of the revolution — freedom, work and dignity – within the “framework of the constitution and with legitimacy.”

Saied also announced that December 17 will henceforth be a national holiday in the country.