The final piece of President Kais Saied's
reform of Tunisian politics is the re-election of a parliament with no
legislative authority on Sunday.
Due to Saied's activities in July 2021,
Tunisia is currently experiencing a severe economic crisis and significant
political conflicts.
Just 34 of the 262 candidates standing for 131
seats are women, and just 11.2% of registered voters participated in the first
round of voting last month. Since the 2011 uprising that ousted Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, that was the lowest voter turnout in a national election.
The last round occurs 18 months after Saied
ousted the government and suspended the legislature. He then moved to control
the courts and enacted a constitution in July that handed his office nearly
limitless executive authority.
Tunisians, according to Youssef Cherif,
director of Columbia Global Centers in Tunis, "lack interest" in
politics.
According to the 2022 constitution, which
gives the president absolute power, "this parliament will have very little
legitimacy, and the president will be free to manage it as he sees fit."
Hamadi Redissi, a lawyer and political
analyst, stated that the newly elected assembly "will not have to endorse
the government, nor can it censor it without a two-thirds majority" of
both parliament and a council of regional representatives, whose composition
has not yet been determined.
The legislature's ability to hold the
president accountable will be minimal.
Similar to the first round, the majority of
political parties advocated for a boycott. These parties have been marginalised
by a system that forbids candidates from expressing affiliation to a political
party.
There aren't many well-known candidates
running for office, and there aren't many posters on the walls in Tunis.
In addition, many Tunisians are sceptical of
all politicians notwithstanding Saied's rupture with the established political
class.
Carpenter Ridha declared, "I don't think
I can trust anyone, so I'm not going to vote."
To try to pique the interest of those voters
who supported Saied's campaign for the presidency in 2019, the electoral board
has scheduled televised debates.
However, the over 10% inflation rate, ongoing
shortages of essential items like milk and gasoline, as well as strikes by
teachers and transport workers, are more pressing concerns for Tunisians than
politics.
Many people viewed the gift of 170 food trucks
sent last week by the government of war-torn Libya, which is situated in
Tripoli, as a humiliation.
Redissi declared that the nation was "on
the brink of disintegration."
The president is shamelessly blaming
"speculators, traitors, and saboteurs" for shortages and rising
prices, he claimed.
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