Today, Monday, the Tunisian High Electoral Authority reported that the voter turnout in the second round of the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, according to the final data, was 11.4% Voting since the 2011 revolution.
Commission head Farouk Boiscar told a press conference that “895,002 voters” voted out of 7.85 million registered voters, or 11.4% (compared to 11.3% announced by Boiscar on Sunday night based on inconclusive numbers). .
However, Boiscard said that percentage rises to 14.6% when measured based on “voluntarily registered voters” on the electoral rolls, i.e. 5.8 million people, while the rest were registered automatically upon reaching the legal voting age. , i.e. 18 years.
This is the lowest voter turnout since the beginning of the democratic transition in 2011 after the fall of the regime of the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
This low level of participation is considered a negative indicator of the project of President Qais Syed, who has monopolized power in the country since 2021.
On Monday, the commission released the names of the winners in each constituency, but it is difficult to get an idea of the direction of the new parliament, as the candidates, mostly unknown to the public, have not been allowed to reveal their political views. accessories.
Experts attribute the low turnout to several factors, most notably the decision of opposition parties to boycott the elections, as well as the general lack of interest of citizens in politics in light of the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
This election represented the final stage of the road map imposed by President Qais Syed, the most prominent feature of which was the creation of a strengthened presidential system, similar to the situation before the 2011 revolution.
On Sunday, the National Salvation Front, Tunisia’s largest opposition bloc, called on various parties and public organizations to unite their positions to “leave” President Kais Sayed and organize early elections.
Saeed came to power on July 25, 2021, freezing and then dissolving parliament, as well as approving a new constitution following a referendum organized last summer, ending the political system that had been in place since 2014.
Said justified the exceptional measures he took at that time by destroying the helm of the state due to serious conflicts between political blocs in parliament.
The new parliament will have very little power as it cannot, for example, dismiss the president or hold him accountable. The President has priority in the proposal of bills.
The new constitution does not require a government appointed by the president to have the confidence of parliament.
The political turmoil in Tunisia is accompanied by an economic stalemate exacerbated by the failure of crucial negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a loan of about $2 billion.
Among the most visible manifestations of the economic crisis are a slowdown in growth to less than 3%, a rise in unemployment to more than 15% and rising poverty rates, which sent 32,000 Tunisians illegally by sea to Italy last year.
