The Coalition Front du Salvation National believes that Kaïs Saïed lost all legitimacy after the very low participation (8.8 %) in the first round of the legislative elections, which took place on Saturday December 17.
MO12345LEMONDE with AFP and Reuters
Tunisians massively shunned the ballot boxes, Saturday, December 17, when they were called upon to renew their parliament. The opposition coalition called for resignation President Kaïs Saïed, who wanted this legislative election to put an end to the process started by his coup de force of July 2021.
According to the Tunisian electoral commission, only 8.8 % of voters, or some 803,000 voters out of nine million, voted. This is the lowest electoral participation since the 2011 revolution, after records (almost 70 % in the legislative elections in October 2014).
The president of the electoral authority, Farouk Bouasker, recognized a “modest but not shameful rate”, believing that he was explained by “the total absence of votes’ purchases (…) with foreign funding “, unlike the past, according to him.
“What happened today is an earthquake,” said Ahmed Néjib Chebbi, the leader of the National Salvation Front. “From this moment, we consider that Saïed is an illegitimate president and we demand that he resign after this fiasco,” he added. The opposition also invited Tunisians to “Massive demonstrations and sit-in” to demand a new presidential election.
For Jawhar Ben Mbarek (National Salvation of Salvation), “The Tunisian people sent a message to the foreign forces – some of which supported the Kais Saied – and IMF coup, that he does not recognize this government, so they must review their calculations “.
unknown candidates
Accusing for months Mr. Saied (elected at the end of 2019) of “dictatorial drift”, the opposition and most political parties have boycotted the vote. They also denounced a change of electoral law, imposing applications without affiliation of a party. Before the vote, the powerful union central Ugtt also judged these legislative elections.
The new assembly of 161 deputies, with very limited powers, must replace that which Mr. Saied had frozen on July 25, 2021, arguing with a blockage of democratic institutions resulting from the first revolt of the Arab Spring, after the fall of Ben Ali dictator in 2011.
Another factor that can explain disaffection: candidates (1,055), for half teachers or civil servants, were essentially unknown, with very few women (less than 12 %) in a country attached to parity. For months, the economic crisis has been the major concern of the 12 million Tunisians, with an inflation of almost 10 % and recurring shortages of milk, sugar or rice.
Preliminary results of this first round of the legislative elections will be announced on Monday.