Tunisia recorded an 11.4% voter turnout in its recent parliamentary elections, according to Farouk Bouasker, president of the Independent High Authority for Elections. The preliminary results show that 154 members were elected in both the first and second rounds, with only 25 of them being women.
Critics have expressed concerns about the low turnout, claiming that it could undermine the legitimacy of Tunisias newly elected House of Representatives. However, the election has brought in both new and familiar faces, with re-elections for former members including Hishem Hosni, Fatma Mseddi, Imed Ouled Jibril, and Nacer Channoufi.
Tunisian President Kais Saied issued a decree in September to change the electoral law, allowing voters to cast ballots for individuals instead of party lists. This new system has also allowed current members of the nationalist-affiliated People’s Movement party, including Ridha Delai and Abdelrrazek Aouidet, to return to parliament.
Other notable members of the newly elected House of Representatives include Ibrahim Bouderbela, former dean of the lawyers bar, and Faouzi Daas, a member of President Saied’s electoral campaign and close circle.
The electoral process has been criticized by civil society observers for its lack of transparency which could explain why Tunisia experienced low turnout in these elections, but the elections body has denied these claims and called for evidence to be presented in court. The newly elected House of Representatives is expected to hold its first session in less than two months, following the completion of the appeals period at Tunisia’s Administrative Court.
Image Credit: Fethi Belaid/AFP
