Turnout in Tunisia’s local elections held this Sunday reached 5.18% by noon, aligning with the broadly observed abstention urged by the president. Said leadership oversees what many describe as the highest level of democratic transition in the country since it began reform efforts prompted by recent constitutional changes.
Young voters such as Jihad Adin Ben Salem say they exercised their right to vote even if the ballot did not deliver concrete changes. He told EFE that many citizens share a sense that the 2011 experience has not yielded improvements. He described a process that felt political rather than practical, noting that democracy has often been invoked to justify outcomes rather than to deliver tangible benefits.
Participation in the 2022 constitutional referendum (about 30%) and the parliamentary elections a year earlier (around 11%) remains the lowest on record, signaling a persistent erosion of trust in electoral mechanisms as the nation advances toward its stated political milestones.
Across districts monitored by EFE, engagement varied—from early morning lines in the Antit district near the capital to otherwise empty classrooms in education centers and even cessants in affluent coastal towns near the capital, illustrating a patchwork of sentiment about the process.
Single-member candidates unaffiliated with major parties, including women who account for roughly 13.4% of candidates, are mobilizing in several constituencies. Tunisians like Fadhila, who did not vote in the previous parliamentary elections, felt encouraged to participate this time as some candidates themselves did not cast ballots. She noted a neighbor who works as a lawyer could serve as a local catalyst for participation.
More than nine million Tunisians were called to the polls to choose from 6,177 candidates by 17:00 GMT, including 279 newly created local councils. This first phase of the broader reform package includes the establishment of the National Council of Regions and Districts as a second parliamentary chamber, a feature introduced in the 2022 constitutional framework.
The president argued on Sunday that these local councils would be closer to citizens and better able to communicate local needs to the National Council for Regions and Districts. Since his 2019 election, Said has focused on reshaping political power structures and pushing a reform agenda described as a new republic founded from the ground up.
The reform envisions a highly centralized executive role with a downsized parliamentary authority and a political landscape with weaker party influence, a shift that has intensified concerns about the health of Tunisia’s democratic institutions, particularly in the wake of arrests of opposition figures on security-related charges. These developments have fed debates about constitutional balance and governance strategies rather than broad consensus on policy direction.
Yet many Tunisians see immediate economic hardships as the dominant issue. Analysts and candidates alike point to the need for changes in economic management to address inflation, food shortages, and the rising cost of living—bread, tea, coffee, flour, and sugar remain front and center in voter anxieties and policy discussions.
During the election period a parallel process will also take place to select among candidates by lottery, with a record of 1,028 applications. A mandatory fee in every local municipality for disabled individuals is part of the regulatory framework surrounding the process.
Preliminary results from this first round are expected no later than December 27. If no candidate secures a majority, a second round will be scheduled for January, continuing the effort to finalize the local governance framework envisioned by the constitutional reforms.