MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2022) The European Union is monitoring the situation with the parliamentary elections held in Tunisia, with a focus on very low voter turnout, EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano said on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Tunisia held snap legislative elections, which were boycotted by opposition parties. According to data released immediately after the end of voting, turnout in the elections did not exceed 9%. On Monday, the country's electoral commission said the voter turnout was 11.22%.
"The EU is following very closely the elections in Tunisia. This is an important neighbor of the EU, and we took note of these elections taking place and took also note of this very low participation in the elections," Stano told a briefing.
Earlier this year, a number of Tunisian opposition parties, including the largest coalition, National Salvation Front, announced that they would boycott the elections. They accuse Tunisian President Kais Saied of passing decrees based on his "personal preferences" and argue that the parliamentary vote would be "another step toward despotism and erosion of democratic efforts."
Saied lobbied a change of constitution in July which stripped parliament of most powers. Under the new constitution, Tunisia ceased to be a semi-presidential republic, and the head of state now singlehandedly appoints the cabinet and judges. The voter turnout at the constitutional referendum was only 27%, and the election commission said 94.6% of them voted to amend the country's basic law.
In July 2021, Saied suspended the parliament and dismissed then-Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi after anti-government protests. In March 2022, he dissolved parliament, stating that this was done "to preserve the state and its institutions."
