ZCZC
BFF-32
TUNISIA-VOTE-LEAD
Official results set to seal outsider’s victory in Tunisia polls
TUNIS, Oct 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Tunisia’s electoral commission was expected
to confirm Monday that voters gave conservative political outsider Kais Saied
a sweeping mandate to be the next president, thanks largely to young people
who flocked to his side.
In a contest that reflected Tunisia’s shifting post-revolution political
landscape, Saied, an independent, scooped up more than 70 percent of the
vote, polls showed — sweeping aside his rival, charismatic media magnate
Nabil Karoui.
“He was elected very comfortably,” political scientist Selim Kharrat said.
With his three million estimated votes, Saied won double that of all 217
lawmakers combined who were elected in October 6 general elections.
This win “is a message to parliament,” Kharrat added. “Voters have opted
for a plan to clean up politics, fight corruption, and give more power to
local entities.”
Official results were set to be announced at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), according
to the electoral commission ISIE, which reported turnout was at least 58
percent, a steep rise from the first round.
Saied, a retired law professor with a rigid and austere demeanour that
earned him the nickname “Robocop”, was carried to victory by young voters,
wooed by his anti-establishment platform.
Around 90 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds voted for Saied, according to
estimates by the Sigma polling institute, compared with 49.2 percent of
voters over 60.
In his first reaction, Saied thanked the country’s young people “for
turning a new page”, and vowed to try to build “a new Tunisia”.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Tunis late Sunday
to celebrate Saied’s victory, honking horns and singing the national anthem.
“Kais Saied, voice of the people,” a gathered crowd chanted. “Long live
Tunisia!”
The runoff pitted Saied against another newcomer, businessman Karoui, who
has been dubbed Tunisia’s “Berlusconi”.
Karoui had been jailed for the majority of the campaign, only walking free
on Wednesday after more than a month behind bars on suspicion of money-
laundering. He has dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
– ‘Peaceful transition’ –
Saied and Karoui both trounced the old guard in a September 15 first round,
highlighting voter anger over a stagnant economy, joblessness and poor public
services in the cradle of the Arab Spring.
The country’s high unemployment rate disproportionately affected young
graduates, fuelling their calls for political change.
The poll, Tunisia’s second free presidential election since its 2011
revolt, followed the death of president Beji Caid Essebsi in July.
Saied, a 61-year-old constitutional law expert, campaigned on the values
of the 2011 revolution, based on opposition to Westernised and corrupt
elites, and in favour of radical decentralisation.
“Tunisians were looking for integrity”, said newly elected conservative
lawmaker Lotfi Mraihi.
He supported Saied because he thought he embodied “the will to cut ties
with the old system and to revive the hope that had been buoyed by the
revolution”.
Tunisians took to social media, many voicing pride in a successful
democratic process.
“Congratulations to Tunisia… for showing a continued commitment to
resolving differences via peaceful transitions,” said H.A. Hellyer, a senior
fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, in a tweet.
The Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which won the most seats in
parliament in the general elections, had called on supporters to back Saied.
– Sharp contrast –
While the candidates were both seen as anti-establishment figures, the
contrast between them was sharp.
A social conservative, Saied has defended the death penalty,
criminalisation of homosexuality and a sexual assault law that punishes
unmarried couples who engage in public displays of affection.
Karoui presented himself as a candidate for the poor whose appeal stemmed
largely from his media empire and philanthropic activity.
While his arrest cemented his outsider status, he had been a longtime key
supporter of president Essebsi, with ties to the political establishment.
For Kharrat, what set the two finalists apart was primarily a difference
of “moral principles”.
“Karoui represents a leading political class that is dishonest and uses
money for its own personal interests,” he said.
Karoui however called the election result a “denial of justice”, saying he
had been penalised by his incarceration.
BSS/AFP/RY/1723 hrs