Volunteer manager of Kaïs Saïed’s presidential campaign in the small agricultural town of Haffouz, 40 kilometers from Kairouan, in central Tunisia, Raed Kassebi sits in a cafe next to the gas station that marks the entrance to the town, after participating in a poster campaign in the surrounding area. area.
Former military man, married and father of three children, with a gray beard that accentuates the features of his face, Kassebi, 38, retired early in 2022, after a work accident. Freed from the reserve duty imposed by his military status, he can now present himself as a supporter of Kaïs Saïed, a candidate for re-election during the presidential elections on October 6.
The young father himself ran unsuccessfully in the 2023-2024 local elections. Far from being discouraged, he now dedicates his free time to President Saïed’s campaign. “I have supported him since 2019 and even more actively since I retired. “I have never regretted anything.”specify with determination.
Since his authoritarian turn that began on July 25, 2021, when he assumed full powers after dissolving the National Assembly, the Head of State appears to be gradually losing the support of Tunisians, although many have welcomed his “strength”. The last legislative elections (2022-2023) and local elections (2023-2024) only mobilized around 11% of the electorate.
“Kaïs Saïed keeps his promises”
Kaïs Saïed’s ability to mobilize the population for the next presidential elections raises doubts, while only two candidates, Zouhair Maghzaoui, a former deputy of the pan-Arab left, and Ayachi Zammel, leader of a small liberal party, were sent to prison for falsification. of sponsorships – were authorized to compete against him in the October 6 vote.
In Kairouan, one of the poorest governorates in Tunisia, where more than a third of its population lives below the poverty line according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the popularity of the head of state seems, however, be on the rise. holding his own.
Localities such as Haffouz, Oueslatia and El Alaa, usually cited by the media for tragic events, such as self-immolations, child suicides or femicides, recorded participation rates of around 20% in the last legislative elections – a little higher than the national average -. despite the boycott by opposition parties and recurring abstention during previous elections.
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