In Sunday’s second round, voters are choosing among 262 candidates looking to fill the remaining 131 seats.
Tunisia is set to vote in the second round of parliamentary elections amid the political and economic woes of the North African country.
Voting will begin at 8:00 am (07:00 GMT) on Sunday, with voters choosing among 262 candidates seeking to fill the remaining 131 seats.
By-elections will be held in the seven constituencies without candidates, likely in March.
President Kais Said will dismiss the government in July 2021, freeze and dissolve parliament, change the constitution, and end the mixed parliamentary system that has been in place since 2014.
Saeed’s support among Tunisians has waned since he was elected president in 2019 with 72 percent of the vote.
First ballot in December Only 11.2% of registered voters participated, Electoral officials said 23 candidates had fully secured seats, 10 of whom ran without voting, and 13 who received more than 50% of the vote.
Sunday’s second round is seen as the final pillar of Said’s political transformation in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. But the new Congress has little power to hold the president accountable.
“a little bit of legitimacy”
“I’m not going to vote,” said Ridha, a carpenter from the capital Tunis, who declined to give his last name, according to AFP news agency. ‘I can’t trust anyone anymore’
Analysts expect turnout among Tunisia’s 7.8 million voters to drop even further as major parties, including Said’s arch-rival Ennada, impose boycotts.
Some Ennahdha officials have been imprisoned and the party has refused to participate in parliamentary elections and has repeatedly protested.
Youssef Sheriff, director of the Columbia Global Center in Tunis, told AFP: “This parliament has little legitimacy, and the president, who has all powers thanks to the 2022 constitution, cannot He will be able to control Congress as he sees fit.”
Tunisians are “not interested” in politics, she added.
“dramatic” situation
With inflation surpassing 10% and repeated shortages of basic necessities from milk to cooking oil, Tunisia’s 12 million people are focused on more pressing issues.
Moody’s, the global rating agency, on Saturday downgraded Tunisia’s credit rating to Caa2, citing “the lack of comprehensive financing to meet the government’s substantial funding needs”.
The latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics show that unemployment has reached over 18% and over 25% in poorer parts of the country, while inflation is at 10.1%.
For several years, Tunisia has suffered a record budget deficit, affecting its ability to pay suppliers of medicines, food and fuel, and causing shortages of milk, sugar, vegetable oil and other staples.
More than 32,000 Tunisians are estimated to have emigrated irregularly in the past year amid slowing growth and rising poverty and unemployment.
The elections come in the shadow of Tunisia’s lengthy negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a nearly $2 billion bailout.
