Turnout in Tunisia’s presidential election this Sunday fell to 27.7 percent, far below the 48.98 percent seen in the first round of 2019. Only about 6 percent of people aged 18 to 35 cast ballots, according to official figures. The drop in participation underscores a growing concern about the direction of the transition and the public willingness to engage in the electoral process.
More than 9.7 million people, out of a population of around 12 million, were invited to vote in Tunisia’s third presidential election since the start of the Arab Spring, which began a democratic transition that the opposition now views as endangered. The outcome is shaping an important moment of reflection about the country’s political path and its institutions.
Provisional results were expected on Monday, with President Kais Saied appearing as the frontrunner against the imprisoned former deputy Ayachi Zammel and the pan-Arabist leader of the Popular Movement, Zuhair Maghzaui. In total 2,704,155 citizens voted inside Tunisia, while participation abroad reached 16.3 percent, amounting to 104,903 of the 642,819 eligible overseas voters. The numbers are watched closely as analysts weigh the meaning of support for different candidates and the resilience of the electoral process.
During the morning, polling stations reported higher turnout than in the afternoon in the capital and in the governorates of Monastir and Kairouan, according to an international observer. The distribution of votes across regions can offer clues about regional priorities and the perceived impact of national policy debates on daily life.
The opposition, which gathered last Friday in the city center, did not unanimously call for a boycott as in previous elections called by Saied, though it denounced a lack of transparency and legitimacy. The debate over participation vs abstention continues to define the political landscape as voters weigh the candidates’ promises against concerns about governance and accountability.
The Islamist Ennahda party, the main opposition force in the parliament dissolved by Saied during his consolidation of power, urged its members to decide freely between boycotting or supporting opponents. The move signals ongoing strategic divisions within the opposition and a cautious attempt to remain relevant in a changing political scene.
Relatives of dissidents detained during the political crisis leaned toward supporting ex-deputy Zammel, the only candidate who has pledged to release them, and to suspend the 2022 Constitution, which was approved by referendum with a high abstention rate and ended the parliamentary system of the transition, consolidating a strongly presidential framework. The unfolding discussion about constitutional arrangements remains a core point of contention for many Tunisians looking for stability and reform.
Sense of Stability
In the bustling and slightly peripheral district of Mnihla, where Saied lived at the start of his presidency in 2019 before moving to the Palace of Carthage, observers noted a noticeable flow of people, a festive mood, and long lines at voting sites that reflected a strong sense of civic participation despite the overall low turnout.
“I vote for the president to stay. He is a man of law, he respects the law and he is honest. He respects everyone, whether a civil servant or a regular citizen,” said a Tunisian woman named Wasila. Her sentiment captures a preference for continuity and a belief that the president has kept his commitments to the rule of law.
Basma repeated her vote, counting on her fingers to form a heart: “It is a story of love, he is honest and not an opportunist, he loves his country. He has done everything he promised and will continue what he started,” she stated with conviction.
In another school near the Medina of Tunis, Bechir, in his thirties, noted that the president has moved the country away from a period of chaos and toward a sense of stability. He observed that the political landscape has become clearer and that voters now see a reduced field of candidates compared with 2019, making it easier to understand the direction in which the country is heading.
“Now the vision is clearer, there are fewer candidates than in 2019 (26 aspirants in the first round). It is clearer what has happened in the last ten years. We have had thieves, people who only looked after their own interests. Since Kais Saied has arrived at power everything is returning to order, slowly, it is true,” Bechir admitted.
Despite broad agreement on the economic deterioration, with unemployment among the highest in the region, most interviewees expressed hope that the head of state could complete his project and win a second term, seeing that continuity might offer a path to steadier governance and gradual improvements in daily life.