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Saied calls for a “different reading” of abstention in Tunisia and highlights its “popularity”

Saied calls for a "different reading" of abstention in Tunisia and highlights its "popularity"

He says that abstention “is a natural reaction” to the “abuses” of Parliament “during the last ten years”

31 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of Tunisia, Kais Saied, has asked for a “different reading” of the participation rate in the legislative elections, which has hovered around eleven percent in the second round after falling below nine in the first, in the midst of opposition calls for him to resign because of this “fiasco”.

Saied has stressed that “the participation figures must be analyzed differently” and has argued that “90 percent have not participated because this Parliament does not tell them anything.” “You have to read the abstention rates and try to understand why Tunisians have not wanted to participate in the elections despite the type of scrutiny,” she said.

“This is because over the last ten years, Tunisians have found that Parliament has become an institution that abuses the state. Abstention is a natural reaction,” the Tunisian president argued, as reported by the ‘Business News’ newspaper. ‘.

“The most important thing is that we respect the established deadlines, even if they were sometimes inadequate. The (constitutional) referendum coincided with a day of vacation,” he explained, referring to the also low rate of participation in said vote.

In this sense, he has stressed that “some people will comment on it in their own way”, something that he has said that “he does not care” and that causes him “contempt and disgust”. “Our popularity is much more ingrained than his,” he explained, referring to opposition criticism against his person.

“What they are doing today amounts to high treason against the Tunisian people, in addition to their use of foreign forces. Tunisia is for the Tunisians and not a place open to anyone. They will have to take responsibility for their high treason. We will work to achieve the objectives a dignified life for our people. A lot of work awaits us, but we meet deadlines and promises,” he concluded.

During the day on Sunday, the leader of the opposition National Salvation Front, Ahmed Neyib Chebi, called on the president to leave office after the “fiasco” of the second round of parliamentarians and maintained that this figure “shows that very few support the Said’s process”.

In this way, he outlined that the low participation in the elections supposes a “popular disavowal” of the initiatives carried out by Saied since in July 2021 he decided to arrogate all powers after dissolving the Government and suspending Parliament, later dissolved.

Saied has since promoted a series of measures to reform Tunisia’s political system, including a constitutional referendum, approved amid an opposition boycott, which reinforces the powers of the Presidency. The opposition has denounced an authoritarian drift of the president and has demanded his resignation.

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