Tunisian President Kais Saied has set January 29 as the date for the second round of the legislative elections, after a first round in December marked by a historically low turnout, below ten percent.
The decree issued by Saied includes an appeal to voters to go to the polls and specifies that voting will take place in 131 constituencies between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (local time), as reported by the Tunisian state news agency, TAP.
For his part, the president of the High Authority for Elections, Faruk Buasker, has asked the candidates to avoid stirring up divisions and to condemn incitement to hatred and violence during their campaign events, which will come to an end on January 27.
«Candidates in the second round of the legislative elections should stay away from violent and hate speech and focus on their election programs,» he said, before calling for the rules on competitiveness to be respected.
In this regard, Buasker has promised that the agency will closely monitor election campaigns on the ground and on social networks, in addition to carrying out analyses on the financing channels of the various candidates to the polls.
Saied, who in July 2021 arrogated to himself all powers after dissolving the government and suspending the parliament–subsequently dissolved–denounced after the first round «a plot against the security of the state» and rejected criticism of the low turnout in the elections.
The president has since July 2021 pushed through a series of measures to reform Tunisia’s political system, including a constitutional referendum, approved amid opposition boycott, which strengthens the powers of the presidency. The opposition has denounced an authoritarian drift of the president and has demanded his resignation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
