The Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia announced today, Sunday, that the second round of early legislative elections will be held in two weeks, and that the propaganda campaign will begin tomorrow, while the Tunisian General Labor Union warned of an imminent "people's revolution", after confrontations between demonstrators and security forces.
During a press conference in Tunis, the head of the Tunisian Elections Authority, Farouk Bouaskar, said that the second round of elections will take place on January 29, and the electoral campaign will continue from tomorrow until the 27th, with Saturday the 28th of this month being the day of electoral silence.
He added that the announcement of the preliminary results will be in early February, and the final results of the second round will be after the end of the appeals, no later than Saturday, March 4.
Bouaskar explained that 23 candidates, including 3 women, won in the first round out of 154 seats in the Assembly of the Representatives of the People.
Regarding the political identity of the competing candidates in the second round, he stated that they are 12 for the People's Movement, 8 for the Voice of the Republic party, 3 for the July 25 movement, and one candidate for the Tunisia Forward Movement, while the rest of the candidates are independents.
In view of the first round of elections held on December 17, the participation rate did not exceed 11.22%, out of 9 million and 200 thousand voters, according to the Independent High Authority for Elections.
Most political parties and entities boycotted the legislative elections, including the National Salvation Front, which is composed of several political parties and civil bodies, as well as the Coordination of Democratic Parties.
Confrontations and warnings
For his part, the Assistant Secretary-General of the General Labor Union, Hafeez Hafeez, warned of what he called the revolution of a people impoverished by the unpopular and unpopular choices and policies of successive governments.
In a speech, Hafeez emphasized the union's loyalty to Tunisia only and the concerns of its people without any confusion, whatever the government did.
Opposition forces, parties, and civil organizations had organized protest demonstrations in rejection of the political path of President Kais Saied, and what they called his monopoly on power, a threat to rights and freedoms, and a violation of the independence of the judiciary, calling for the restoration of the course of the revolution and the stepping down of President Saied.
The demonstrators raised slogans rejecting the exceptional measures taken by the Tunisian president on July 25, 2021.
For his part, President Said said that his country is at war with corruption and with those he described as traitors and agents, as he put it.
Popular neighborhoods in the states of Kasserine, Sousse, and Bizerte witnessed confrontations and hit-and-run operations between young men and security units, as yesterday coincided with the anniversary of the "Jasmine Revolution" in 2011, which ended with the fall of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The security forces used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who were denouncing the actions of President Kais Saied.
For its part, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior accused, in a statement, parties, which it did not name, of inciting teenagers and people with criminal records to riot in popular neighborhoods, explaining that it is seeking to arrest them and bring them to justice.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry also said that it had arrested 3 people who planned to attack security forces and damage private and public property in the southern suburbs of Tunis.