KEY POINTS
- Kais Saied leads with 89.2% of votes, the exit poll shows.
- Rights groups criticize Saied for undermining democratic progress.
- Voter turnout falls to 27.7%, reflecting public disillusionment.
Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied celebrated in the capital Sunday night after a state television exit poll showed him winning the presidential election against two rivals, including one who is currently in prison.
In the election, Saied defeated his two challengers: Zouhair Maghzaoui, the leader of the Chaab Party who transitioned from being an ally to a critic, and Ayachi Zammel, who faced imprisonment last month.
Celebrations erupt after exit poll shows Saied leading rivals
Turnout was 27.7%, the election commission said after the polls closed—half the rate of the runoff round in the 2019 presidential election.
State television reported that an exit poll by Sigma, a polling agency, shows Saied leading with 89.2% of the vote, ahead of the official results expected on Monday evening.
In his first comment after the poll, Saied told state television: “This is a continuation of the revolution. We will build and will cleanse the country of the corrupt, traitors, and conspirators.”
Reuters reported that campaigns for both Zammel and Maghzaoui rejected the exit poll results, saying the real outcome would be different. On Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, supporters of Saied raised his picture and waved Tunisian flags, chanting, “The people want to build and develop.”
“We rejoice for a person because he served the state and not for his benefit. He serves for the benefit of the people and the state,” said Mohsen Ibrahim, a supporter celebrating in the capital.
For years, Tunisia was celebrated as the only relative success of the 2011 “Arab Spring” uprisings across the region. It managed to establish a competitive, albeit imperfect, democracy after enduring decades of harsh autocratic rule. However, rights groups now contend that Saied, who took power in 2019, has reversed many of these democratic advances. They argue that Saied has removed several institutional and legal checks that were designed to limit his authority.
Saied, 66, has rejected such criticism, insisting he is fighting a corrupt elite and traitors and will not become a dictator.
Over the past year, authorities have imprisoned senior figures from major parties that largely oppose Saied on various charges. Those parties did not publicly back any of the three candidates on Sunday’s ballot, and officials have barred some opponents from running.
“The scene is shameful—journalists and opponents in prison, including one presidential candidate,” said Wael, a bank employee in Tunis, who gave only his first name.
Rights groups fear democratic backsliding under Saied’s leadership
Since Saied appointed an electoral commission that disqualified three well-known candidates last month, political tensions have increased, sparking protests from the opposition and civil society organizations.
Last week, lawmakers loyal to Saied approved legislation stripping the administrative court of its authority over election disputes.
Many regarded the court as the country’s last independent judicial body after Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in 2022.
After the 2011 revolution, voters fiercely contested elections and participated in high numbers, but growing public disillusionment has set in due to Tunisia’s poor economic performance and widespread corruption.
Saied, who was elected in 2019, seized most state powers in 2021 by dissolving the elected parliament and rewriting the constitution. The opposition described his actions as a coup, arguing they undermined the country’s democratic institutions. A referendum on the new constitution passed, but voter turnout was just 30%, which clearly indicated low public enthusiasm. In January 2023, a runoff election took place for a new parliament established under that constitution, with only 11% turnout.
Although tourism revenues are rising and financial aid has come from European countries concerned about migration, state finances remain strained. Shortages of subsidized goods are common, as are power and water outages.
