Tunisia votes with opposition behind bars, Saied set for re-election
Though the birthplace of the Arab Spring, the election is seen as a closing chapter in the Tunisia’s experiment with democracy
Tunisians cast ballots on Sunday in a presidential election, with incumbent Kai's Saied expected to secure another five years in office with his main critics are behind bars.
Three years after Saied staged a sweeping power grab, the election is seen as a closing chapter in Tunisia’s experiment with democracy. The North African country had prided itself for more than a decade for being the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings against authoritarianism.
The ISIE electoral board said about 9.7 million people were expected to turn out. About 47 per cent of them are aged between 36 and 60.
At one polling station in central Tunis, a group of mostly older men were seen lining up to vote.
“I came to support Kai's Saied,” 69-year-old Nouri Masmoudi said. “My whole family is going to vote for him.”
Fadhila, 66, said she voted “in response to those who called for a boycott”.
