The US asks Tunisia for a “more inclusive” political process after the low turnout in the legislative elections

2 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States has affirmed that the low turnout in the legislative elections in Tunisia reflects the need for “a more inclusive process” to “expand political participation”, amid opposition complaints about the authoritarian drift of the president, Kais Saied.

The vice spokesman for the US State Department, Vedant Patel, has said that the second round of the elections, held on Sunday, “is another step in the important and essential process of restoring democratic checks and balances in the country.”

“We will continue to support the aspirations of the Tunisian people for a democratic and accountable government that protects Human Rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, and that preserves the space for civil society,” he stressed.

The second round was once again marked by an abstention rate close to 90 percent, after the turnout did not reach nine percent in the first round, a record low worldwide.

However, the president called for a “different reading” and attributed the abstention to the fact that “during the last ten years, Tunisians have found that Parliament has become an institution that abuses the State.”

For his part, the leader of the opposition National Salvation Front, Ahmed Neyib Chebi, demanded on Sunday that the president 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”.

Saied has promoted since July 2021 a series of measures to reform the political system of Tunisia, including a constitutional referendum, approved in the midst of the opposition boycott, which reinforces the powers of the Presidency. The opposition has denounced an authoritarian drift of the president and has demanded his resignation.