Jan. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of Tunisia, 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 turnout at record lows, below ten percent.
The decree published by Saied includes a call on voters to go to the polls and specifies that the vote will take place in 131 constituencies between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 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 27 from January.
“Candidates in the second round of the legislative elections must stay away from violent and hate speech and focus on their electoral programs,” he said, before demanding that the rules on competitiveness be respected.
In this sense, Buasker has promised that the body will closely monitor electoral campaigns on the ground and on social networks, in addition to carrying out analyzes on the financing channels of the various candidates for the polls.
Saied, who in July 2021 assumed all powers after dissolving the Government and suspending Parliament -later dissolved-, denounced after the first round “a plot against state security” and rejected criticism for the low participation in the elections.
Since July 2021, the president has promoted 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.
