Turnout of Tunisia’s 2nd round of legislative polls at 11.3%

TUNIS (Tunisia): The preliminary turnout of Tunisia's second round of legislative elections was 11.3 per cent, the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) said.

"The turnout in the second round of legislative elections in Tunisia has reached 11.3 per cent, as 887,638 out of 7,853,447 registered voters cast their ballots," ISIE President Farouk Bouasker announced at a press conference here on Sunday night.

Tunisians went to the polls on Sunday with a total of 4,222 voting centres and 10,012 polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to ISIE, the total number of candidates running for this round was 262, including 34 women.

The first round taking place on December 17, 2022, witnessed a low turnout rate of 11.22 per cent, during which 23 candidates won seats in the new Parliament and no one ran for seven seats reserved for overseas constituencies. It led to the second round of elections to decide the 131 seats in the 161-member Parliament.

According to ISIE spokesperson Mohamed Tlili Mansri, factors such as a change in the voting rules and the absence of partisan support for the candidates might explain the low turnout. Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on March 30 last year the dissolution of the Assembly of People's Representatives, or Parliament.

On April 5, 2022, Saied had unveiled new voting rules for legislative elections that the voting will be organised in two rounds, and people will vote for individuals rather than lists as in previous elections.

The voting was held at a time when Tunisia is facing harsh economic conditions.

According to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund, Tunisia's current account deficit amounts to 8 per cent of GDP and its gross debt is at a record 89.2 per cent of GDP, up from 82.8 per cent in 2020 and 47 per cent in 2011.

In December 2022, the annual inflation rate in Tunisia increased for the 15th consecutive month to 10.1 per cent, the highest in 38 years.