Tunisia’s opposition is calling for President Kais Saied to resign after a record drop in voter turnout in Saturday’s parliamentary elections. According to the first statistics, only 8.8 percent of voters cast their ballots. Opposition parties had boycotted the elections after the president dismissed the prime minister in the summer of 2021, appointed a new prime minister, and dissolved parliament.
The bloc of opposition parties called for mass protests to force new presidential elections. Opposition leader Najib Chebbi described the drop in turnout as an “earthquake”. He also said that the opposition considers Saied an “illegitimate president”.
Last summer, the opposition also boycotted a referendum on a new constitution. This would push the country back into the authoritarian government that prevailed before the 2011 democratic revolution. With the new constitution, the president was given more power over the government and the judiciary and checks on presidential power were removed. Parliament also got a weaker position under the new constitution.
The provisional results of the parliamentary elections are expected to be announced on Monday.
