TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president and a shocking, decade-long democratic experiment face a crucial challenge when voters cast ballots in the second round of parliamentary elections.
The vote in the first round last month was just 11%, with many disaffected Tunisians walking away and the influential opposition Islamist party opposed.
Sunday’s second round of elections is being watched in Arab countries. They were enacted as a summary measure in President Qais Said’s push to consolidate power, tame Islamist rivals, and win back creditors and investors.
Voters are electing lawmakers in 2021 to replace the last parliament led by the Islamist party Enahdha, which Saeed suspended and later dissolved. He then rewrote the constitution to give the president more power over the legislature.
Tunisia’s 2011 revolution After the Arab revolution opened up popular uprisings across the region, the growing crisis of trust between the citizens and the political class led Tunisians to create a new democratic political system that was seen as a model, analysts say.
At a food market in Tunis ahead of Sunday’s vote, few people seemed to think a new parliament would solve their problems. Sellers find it difficult to sell their goods as consumers complain about rising prices.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Sunday, except in regions near the Algerian and Libyan borders where authorities are restricting voting hours for security reasons. Voter turnout – an important indicator of the election’s legitimacy – is expected to be announced on Sunday evening and the results of the election in the coming days.
In the first round of elections, 23 candidates secured direct seats in the 161-seat parliament, either running unopposed or winning more than 50% of the vote.
In Sunday’s runoff, voters are choosing from among 262 candidates to fill 131 seats. There is no candidate who contested in other seven constituencies. Election officials say those seats will be filled later in special elections.
Said and his supporters argued that Tunisian politics needed reform. Unemployment has topped 18 percent, the budget deficit has plummeted and led to a shortage of capital, and the International Monetary Fund has suspended talks on a long-awaited new loan to the Tunisian government.
Earlier this month, Said’s popularity plummeted in 2019 after a surprise visit to a cafe in Tunis was shared online.
“God willing, we will provide you with everything you need… as long as you have hope,” he told the youth group.
“We have no hope,” replied one.
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Contributed by Angela Charlton in Paris.
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