In Tunisia, the opposition is forced to question itself after the official proclamation of Kaïs Saïed’s victory in the presidential elections

As expected, the Tunisian president, Kaïs Saïed, was re-elected in the first round with 90.69% of the votes, according to the official preliminary results announced on Monday, October 7, by the Independent High Electoral Authority (ISIE). The participation rate in the presidential elections the day before, on Sunday, October 6, was 28.8%, well below that of the 2014 and 2019 elections, with a participation of 63% and 49% respectively in the first round.

Ayachi Zammel, leader of a small party imprisoned since early September for falsification of sponsorships, only obtained 7.35% of the votes cast. The third candidate in the running, Zouhair Maghzaoui, leader of the Popular Movement – ​​who had supported President Saïed for a time before opposing him at the beginning of the electoral campaign – obtained 1.97% of the votes.

The ISIE thus confirmed, with some points, the estimates of an exit poll broadcast the day before at 8 p.m. on public television that gave the outgoing president the winner with 89.2% of the votes. The dissemination of these unofficial results sparked widespread criticism because they are normally prohibited by law. On Sunday afternoon, Ayachi Zammel’s campaign team reacted quickly on their Facebook page. “National television (…) published the results of an alleged survey on the results of the presidential elections (…) with the objective of guiding public opinion towards the acceptance of specific results”claiming to reject “categorically these results”. A position shared by Zouhair Maghzaoui in the afternoon.

On Sunday afternoon, several hundred supporters of Kaïs Saïed gathered in the center of Tunis to express their joy after the announcement of these results that gave their candidate the clear winner in the first round. Naoufel Saïed, brother of the president and head of his campaign, celebrated the result of the vote which, according to him, confirms his “ popularity “.

“Prioritize the national interest”

A few moments after the official results were announced on Monday afternoon, Ayachi Zammel’s campaign team qualified its position and cast doubt on its intention to challenge these results in court. “What will guide the decision on appeals? (…) “It will be first and foremost the interest of the candidate Ayachi Zammel, as well as the best interest of the country.”stated in a press release, adding that Mr. Zammel called “the elected President of the Republic and the national opposition will prioritize the greatest national interest and establish a political truce,” as well as to release “all prisoners detained for their political, media, economic or artistic activities”.

Within the opposition opinions are divided. Several parties had called for a boycott of a vote considered inevitable and blocked by the regime. In early September, Ayachi Zammel was jailed and later sentenced to twelve years in prison for falsifying endorsements just days before the presidential election, which prevented him from running his campaign. Previously, in August, the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) rejected 14 of the 17 candidates presented and refused to comply with court decisions ordering the reinstatement of three candidates.

Rejecting the electoral process as a whole, the Workers’ Party, led by its left-wing opponent Hamma Hammami, described the vote as “joke”. “The power resulting from the coup d’état [une référence au “coup de force” de Kaïs Saïed, qui s’est adjugé les pleins pouvoirs le 25 juillet 2021] received a slap in the face from the Tunisian people. Regardless of the credibility of the preliminary figures announced by the ISIE, They are enough to confirm the popular failure of this masquerade. The abstention, which exceeded 70%, means that the vast majority of voters boycotted this farce for various reasons. “the party stated in a press release published Monday night.

“The entire opposition has failed”

Among those who had called to counter President Kaïs Saïed at the polls, the time for interrogation has arrived. “We only represent a small minority (…) “This is reality and unfortunately we have to accept it.”estimated Youssef Chaouachi, whose father, Ghazi Chaouachi, an opponent of Saïed, has been imprisoned since February 2023 and accused of conspiring against state security. “Three years of opposition to the regime have not produced results. The entire opposition has failed. “Either we find new methods of resistance or we withdraw completely from the public stage.”he lamented.

Hesitating about the position to adopt in the face of this presidential election, the opposition remained divided during the electoral campaign, failing to adopt a common strategy. “There was a lot of trial and error at the beginning and wasted energy fighting the restrictions imposed by the electoral body. analyzes Hamza Meddeb, researcher at the Carnegie Middle East Center. In the end, it was too late. There was no clear slogan and we had elections without a campaign. »

Elected for a first term in 2019, Kaïs Saïed was granted full powers on July 25, 2021 after dissolving the national assembly. He then expanded his control over the judicial system and intensified repression against his opponents, several dozen of whom are today imprisoned and accused of conspiring against state security.