Different Tunisian opposition parties have highlighted as a political victory the very low turnout in the legislative elections held this Saturday in Tunisia, less than 9 percent, following their call for abstention in protest against the concentration of power in the hands of President Kais Saied.
«The turnout in the elections has confirmed that people are disappointed with Kais Saied,» said a spokesman for the National Front, Ahmed Nayib, who described the abstention as an «earthquake of eight degrees of magnitude on the Richter scale,» reports Tunisian radio station Mosaique FM.
He has therefore called on the Tunisian people, civil society organizations and associations and the country’s personalities to mobilize, close ranks and participate in the protests and rallies to «overthrow» the «regime of July 25, 2021» in reference to the date on which Saied ordered the dissolution of the Government and the suspension of the Parliament.
Meanwhile, from the Free Constitutional Party, Abir Musa has called for the departure of Saied and the declaration of presidential vacancy. The opposition leader participated in an event with supporters in which she defended the need to call early elections with a new electoral authority.
From the Workers’ Party they have highlighted the «resounding slap» of the Tunisian people to Saied and his «regime». «He has to go», the formation has indicated in a communiqué.
The high abstention in this electoral «farce» is a «mortal wound» for Saied and has criticized the «puppet» Parliament elected in these elections «to legitimize his coup d’état and his authoritarian and populist regime that hijacks the Tunisian revolution».
Faced with this situation, the Communist party has called for «unifying efforts to impose a popular, national and democratic alternative that puts forward new options inspired by the demands of the revolution that puts an end to populism and to all the obscurantist and reactionary expressions that have betrayed the revolution and the people».
Finally, the Republican Party of Tunisia, also signatory of the boycott, has also called for the resignation of Saied to pave the way for a new stage of transition to ensure the return of stability and the recovery of the civil and democratic institutions of the State, after an «absurd» electoral process.
The party called for the launching of urgent consultations in preparation for a comprehensive dialogue that would continue with the approval of a national rescue plan and the development of an integrated program of political and economic reforms with a view to its culmination with the organization of early presidential and legislative elections.
The turnout in the legislative elections held this Saturday in Tunisia was 8.8 percent at the close of polling stations, according to official data from the Tunisian Independent Higher Electoral Authority, i.e. 803,638 voters.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
