Tunisia election turnout was 11.3%, according to electoral commission

TUNISIA,Jan 30 (AA/APP):The turnout in the second round of the early general elections held on Sunday in Tunisia was 11.3%, an official said.

“The voting process was completed without any problems at all polling stations established across the country. 887,638 out of a total of 7,853,447 registered voters participated in the voting process.

“According to these figures, the participation rate was 11.3%,” Farouk Bouasker, the head of the electoral commission announced at a news conference.

More than 10,000 ballot boxes were placed at 4,222 election centers across the country, according to government figures.

A total of 262 candidates, including 34 women, are running for 131 seats.

In December’s first round of voting, 23 candidates were elected to the 161-member parliament.

Special elections will be held later for seven constituencies with no candidates.

The early polls are the latest step in a series of exceptional measures taken by President Kais Saied, which started in July 2021 with ousting the government, dissolving parliament and drafting a new constitution.

With around 9.2 million eligible voters, the first round saw a meager turnout of 11.22%, fueling more calls from the opposition for Saied to step down.