Tunisia has recorded the lowest voter turnout in its recent history following the suspension of parliament by President Kais Saied and the subsequent redrawing of the country’s political map.
Officials from the country’s Instance Superior Indépendante pour les Elections (ISIE) announced that the final vote count in the legislative elections is 8.8 percent, although it may increase slightly as additional votes are tabulated.
Since suspending parliament in July last year, Saied has introduced a new constitution, greatly reducing the role of the country’s political parties, which he described as enemies of the people. He reserved particular anger for the Ennahda movement, which has dominated the political scene since the country first led a wave of regional protests against the autocracy in 2011.
Instead of traditional parties, which Saied has blamed for much of the withering economy and entrenched unemployment, the president has encouraged individuals to run for office with programs aimed at serving their immediate community. The result, 1,055 self-funded candidates vying for 161 seats, has made for a unique electoral contest, with many voters unsure of who was running and a number of constituencies featuring only a single candidate on the ballot.
“I came out to support a friend in the neighborhood,” Omar, 19, said of his vote for the only candidate competing in the crowded Tunis district around Rue de Marseille. “President Saied is bringing changes to the country and I will always support that,” he told a translator.
With many political parties absent, voter turnout has been remarkably low-key, with some voters not even aware that an election was taking place.
“I have no hope,” said dentist Lamia Kamoun, explaining that she had not decided whether she would vote. “I had hope in the country, not now… Things have gotten worse,” he said.
By 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, two polling stations in the workers’ district of Kabaria, near Tunis, had registered only about 100 votes each, out of a possible 1,800 voters registered at the two centers. An ISIE official there said they had no intention of voting in an election they considered unimportant. “This is just my job,” they said, gesturing around the empty schoolyard.
Closer to the city center, near the city’s historic medina district, a polling station had registered only about 40 voters out of a possible 900. Speaking from the booths, an official explained that the vote did not really compare to previous elections as it was a one-off contest.
Announcing the count, ISIE president Farouk Bouasker appeared to channel Saied’s rhetoric, which has made a big game of conspiracies, attributing the low turnout to “the absence of corrupt political money.”
Initial results are due Monday, with final results not expected until January. The new body is not expected to sit before March, after tied or closed contests are called again.
Max Gallien of the Institute for Development Studies tweeted that Tunisia is “on track to achieve the lowest turnout of any election in modern world history, with half the turnout of previous records (Haiti 2015 to 18%, Afghanistan 2019 with 19).”).
The Tunisian Salvation Front opposition coalition called for Saied to resign on Saturday, saying he had lost his legitimacy because of the turnout.
The Front, made up of several political parties, including Islamist Ennahda, which was the largest party in the previous parliament, called for “mass demonstrations and sit-ins” to demand new presidential elections.
Although opposition groups have previously attacked Saied’s political agenda, they had not previously called for him to step down.
“What happened today is an earthquake,” said Front leader Nejib Chebbi. “From this moment we consider Saied an illegitimate president and demand his resignation after this fiasco,” he said.
He added that there should be a short transition period under a judge followed by presidential elections and a national dialogue.