This morning in Tunisia, the turnout at polling stations reflected a restrained turnout as controversial legislative elections approached amid calls for a boycott from certain political parties.
The president of Tunisia, Kais Said, who dissolved parliament fourteen months earlier and moved to unilaterally call these elections, urged Tunisians to participate in what he called a historic chance to reclaim their rights.
According to the Independent Superior Authority for Elections, the ISIE, attendance in the first two hours stood at about 3 percent, with 270,032 of more than 9.1 million eligible voters casting ballots to elect a new parliament under a reform that replaces party lists with single-member candidates in two rounds.
Said emphasized that the elected representatives would remain under the oversight of the voters through this system, which was approved by a decree issued on September 15.
The sparsity of voters seemed mirrored by the number of journalists present at polling stations in the early hours. Many first-hour participants and others who showed up described their participation as a civic duty in the face of political turbulence.
In the capital’s Bab Bhar district, Mohamed Mrisi expressed a critical view: he believed the traditional parties would fade and that a shift toward candidates outside the party framework could emerge. He noted this would be his second vote in six months and anticipated positive results once again.
Tired of the political class
For Mehrezia, a former journalist, the vote signals widespread weariness with the traditional political class and a chance for lawmakers to rebuild public trust that has eroded over the last decade. She recalled the era of political figures who commanded respect, free from open conflict or violence, describing a time and leadership style associated with a more stable past.
A voter from a single-member district described a changing landscape: while past party lists may have shown hundreds of names, the present field has focused on individual candidates with recognizable experience. The voter emphasized that personal qualifications sometimes trump a detailed program, and that experience remains a decisive factor in candidate selection under current law.
The presidential initiative, which consolidated power on July 25, 2021, aims to influence the course of what many describe as Tunisia’s transitional period following the 2011 upheavals that sparked broader regional movements. The forthcoming Assembly is expected to have limited powers and to operate under a constitution that concentrates authority with the presidency, a framework that Said defended in the referendum held on that same date.
Across the country, 1,055 candidates are competing, with women accounting for about 11 percent of the field. Polls close at 17:00 GMT, with overseas constituencies voting until 19:00 GMT.
The European Parliament has elected not to send observers for this vote, while the local Mourakiboun association and several others will monitor the process in the aftermath. They have warned of potential confusion and administrative weakness within the current setup, underscoring the need for transparent and credible election administration [ISIE, Election Authority].