Kais Saied Declared Victorious Again in Controversial Tunisian Elections Amid Low Voter Turnout
A recent poll by private firm Sigma Conseils has indicated a significant victory for Tunisian President Kais Saied, who garnered 892 votes in the latest elections held this Sunday, according to reports from official media. The imprisoned former deputy, Ayachi Zammel, reportedly received 69 votes, while the pan-Arab leader of the Popular Movement, Zuhair Maghzaui, managed to secure 39 votes. Maghzaui's team has expressed skepticism about the results, suggesting that they are designed to distort the electoral process.
Celebrations erupted in downtown Tunisia as President Saied's supporters took to the streets waving flags in anticipation of the provisional results set to be announced by the electoral authority, ISIE, on Monday. However, the Tunisian Association for Integrity and Democracy in Elections (ATIDE) has raised concerns, stating that they observed numerous irregularities and malpractices during the vote-counting process.
One of the most notable aspects of this election is the significant drop in voter turnout, recorded at only 27.7%. This is a sharp decline from the 48.98% turnout in the first round of the 2019 elections. Alarmingly, only 6% of eligible voters aged 18 to 35 participated in the ballot, as confirmed by ISIE. From a population of approximately 12 million, over 9.7 million were eligible to vote in Tunisia's third presidential elections since the Arab Spring.
Total participation in the elections saw about 2,704,155 citizens casting their votes domestically, with a slightly better turnout of 16.3% among voters abroad, where 104,903 out of 642,819 registered expatriates participated.
In a stark contrast to previous elections, the opposition's response this time was not a unified call for a boycott, though many still denounced the lack of transparency and legitimacy surrounding the elections. The Islamist party Ennahda, which has emerged as the primary opposition force since parliament was dissolved by Saied, recommended that its members decide independently between boycotting or supporting the opposition candidates.
Relatives of jailed dissidents have tended to support former deputy Zammel, viewing him as the only candidate committed to securing their freedom and suspending the 2022 Constitution. That constitution had been approved through a referendum that saw a notable 70% abstention rate from voters, effectively dismantling the parliamentary system and solidifying an ultrapresidential framework.
As Tunisia continues to navigate the complex landscape of democracy that has emerged since the Arab Spring, questions remain about the legitimacy of the recent election and the future of political participation in the country.
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