Thousands protest in Tunisia against president’s rule

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Thousands of protesters angry at Tunisia’s economic crisis and the president’s increasingly authoritarian drift have marched through the capital. They responded to a call from opposition parties to mark 12 years since Tunisian protesters unleashed Arab Spring uprisings around the region. The protest on Saturday came after disastrous a parliamentary election last month in which just 11% of voters cast ballots. It also comes as the country is going through a major economic crisis with inflation and joblessness on the rise. A coalition of five opposition parties including the popular Islamist opposition party Ennahdha had called for the march in central Tunis. Authorities had placed the capital’s main artery and a key site for the revolution under high security.