On December 17, the Tunisian legislative elections will take place. The campaign was launched yesterday, without thrilling the crowds.
On December 17, the world will hold its breath to know, the next day, the new world champion. The World Cup in Qatar will close on December 18. The Tunisians are already returning home, disappointed by the elimination of the Eagles of Carthage, despite a historic victory against the French team.
And as always, the 12 million Tunisians, who have so far improvised themselves as football coaches, will once again become political scientists. Because in a little more than two weeks, a new election awaits the populations of this country which is starting to have the habit of going to the polling stations.
As a symbol, the electoral campaign for the legislative elections also started on Wednesday, when it was an important match day. There are therefore a fortnight left for the candidates to secure a place in the future national assembly.
President Kaïs Saïed had, at first, froze the activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP), before dissolving this chamber. He had to organize a new ballot to elect deputies. And he chose December 17 as a symbol: it is the anniversary of the immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, who launched the revolution in 2010, and which has become a public holiday instead of January 14.
Towards a new record abstention?
The stakes are high for the observers: what will be the participation rate? He might be weak. And so much the better for the President of the Republic who does not intend to govern with the help of deputies. Moreover, it is difficult for voters to understand that the voting system and the role of parliament will no longer be the same.
According to the draft Constitution, for which the Tunisians had voted several weeks ago, the assembly will indeed be subject to the goodwill of the Council of the Regions. A very vague institution for the Tunisians who will therefore rely on the programs, sometimes fantastic, of the thousand candidates for the legislative elections to make their choice.
Why such vagueness in this campaign? The Independent Higher Authority for the Elections (Isie) remained very discreet on the terms of the ballot. Few know exactly what they will be doing on December 17. But one thing is certain: these legislative elections should not be a dazzling success. The day after the announcement of the results, the 161 deputies will take their place in an assembly that is currently very empty. And then the first political conclusions will be drawn.
In the meantime, the Tunisians prefer to dwell on football and the success of the Eagles of Carthage against France. It deserves to avoid talking about politics...