By Andrew Firmin
Tunisia’s 6 October presidential election did what it was designed to do: prolong autocratic incumbent Kais Saied’s stay in power. Saied beat the two candidates allowed to stand against him – one a supporter, the other an opponent in jail – to take over 90 per cent of the vote. But with an extremely low turnout of under 29 per cent, Saied’s win hardly constitutes an endorsement. It’s clear most people expressed their dissatisfaction by staying home.
It’s quite different from the 2019 election that brought Saied to power. Then, the field consisted of a staggering 26 candidates, and when Saied prevailed in the run-off, it was on a turnout of over 55 per cent. But since then, Saied has dismantled democratic checks and balances and greatly expanded his power. He can be expected to interpret the result as a mandate to further supress freedoms.
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