Tunisian presidencies vote less than half and young people boycott

Amal Hilali - Tunisia

Voting for the Tunisian presidential election closed early Sunday, with 45% voting at home and 27.4% abroad, the electoral commission announced.

In a statement to Al Jazeera Net, Farouk Bouaskar, vice president of the commission, described the voting rates of 45% as acceptable, but he did not hide his regret for the recorded reluctance, especially among the youth in return for a large participation of the elderly.

The 2014 presidential elections registered a turnout of more than 64%, which was described as respectable.

The head of the Electoral Commission appealed to Tunisians through the media an hour before the closure of polling stations, urging them to participate heavily in the victory of the revolution and the blood of the martyrs and the wounded.

Constituencies in the governorates of Greater Tunis recorded the highest turnout, such as the Tunis II constituency, reaching 58.5%, while the Beja constituency in the northwest recorded the lowest percentage, estimated at 22.8%.

The head of the "Observers without Borders" Hajar Sderi Chebbi voting rate is weak, noting that it was expected given the circumstances marred by the premature elections after the sudden death of the late President Beji Kaid Essebsi.

Al-Sudairy confirmed in her interview with Al-Jazeera Net Azouf and the boycott of the youth this election benefit in return for an intense presence of the elderly.

It revealed that the organization has registered several violations in and around the polling stations, mainly related to the attempt to influence the will of the voters by some representatives of the candidates and others related to the non-publication of voter lists.

Tunisians abroad voted 27.4%, which was also described as weak and below expectations.

The Election Commission is expected to officially announce on Monday the preliminary results and the names of the candidates qualified for the second round, while the results of sounding unofficial opinions revealed the success of the independent candidates Qais Saeed and Nabil Al-Karawi in this role.

The campaign headquarters of the candidates witnessed an unprecedented festive atmosphere in a scene that observers described as a political earthquake and the resounding fall of party candidates.