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Tunisia: the renewed interest of young people to vote

Last spring, the election authority conducted a major campaign to encourage non-voters to join the electorate. More than one million people, more than 60% of whom are under the age of 25, have registered. A surprising phenomenon at the time when we said Tunisian youth disinterested in politics.

In this popular neighborhood of a small coastal town, Khaled is proud to have registered on the electoral lists. This student who sips a coffee on the terrace wants to be an actor of change: " Of course I'm going to vote. We hope that changes a little. That's why we really have to go to the polls because right now in the country, there is nothing that forces us to have hope in the future. So we really hope to have a good president and people who want to change things. That's all, we really have to move, we really have to go forward, we try to do things right this time. "

An enthusiasm that does not share Ahmed, the twenties: " Me personally I will not vote, it's not my thing. Even if he recognizes that he was not far from registering to do like his friends.

"A change related to the opening of public space"

Eight years after the revolution, this phenomenon of massive enrollment of young Tunisians and Tunisians is encouraging according to Foued Ghorbali. This sociologist specializing in Tunisian youth still wonders about the beneficiaries of new voters. " I think it's a change related to the opening of the public space. But what surprises us is this orientation, especially of the popular youth, which suffers from problems of insertion on the labor market. Their orientation is towards populist people because this youth is looking for answers to their problems. But the traditional system and traditional political people have failed to come up with credible offers. "

Without completely rejecting the system in place, Sirine does not hide her determination to change things . Registered since May on the electoral lists, not yet twenty years, the young woman is aware of the power of his voice: " Yes, I will go to vote because it will change my future, it will affect my future, it goes the influence. We are beginning to believe in our country not in politics and especially in the new people who are on the territory because there are many new, many volunteers to change the country and many people are optimistic, we really see some something that will change, "she says.

From democratic impetus to political force

Then Sirine adds: " Improving education and health is the priority. If a people is not well educated, they can not move forward; and especially if he is not in good health, if he is not physically well he can not move forward. How can a person work and provide physical or intellectual effort when physically touched? "

It will take a few more years, according to Fouad Ghorbali, for this democratic impulse that affects young people to become a political force. " But Tunisian youth has not yet turned into a political movement to change the system. We are still in the excitement. Young people are not really a historical political actor who can change the game for the moment. "

Sunday, more than 7 million registered voters are asked to choose from 26 candidates the head of the Tunisian state.

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