Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied took to the streets to celebrate the overwhelming win in the constitutional referendum held on Monday, in spite of the country’s election authorities saying that only a quarter of registered voters actually turned up to the polls.
Hassan Zarkouni, President of polling company Sigma Conseil, said that 92.3% of voters approved of the constitution, with only 7.7% voting no.
Saied addressed his supporters in Tunis early Tuesday, referring to the referendum as “an historic moment” and appearing to be sure that the constitution would pass.
Critics of the constitution point to the low turnout rate to the polls as evidence of its illegitimacy. No minimum level of participation was set for the referendum, however, meaning that the constitution will be adopted.
Observers think that the opposition could frame the lack of participation as removing legitimacy of the constitution, although that assumes that 72% were actively boycotting, not just neglecting to vote.
They also suggest that for the opposition to effectively broadcast its message, they should hold a unified big protest, instead of several smaller ones.
The five biggest parties in the country had announced plans to boycott the constitution, as President Kais Saied’s popularity sees a downfall following his recent clashes with other branches of power in the country.
Read also: President Kais Saied: ‘I Will Not Turn Into A Dictatorʼ
“The real story is this: support and opposition to Kais Saied is about equal today. And that’s a big shift from July 25 last year,” Brookings Institution fellow Sharan Grewal posted on Twitter.
The new constitution has proved to be controversial in Tunisia, with opponents saying it presents potential for serious abuses of power by the President, limiting the powers of the parliamentary and judicial powers.
Notably, the constitution also does not include Islam as a state religion, although it still considers Tunisia part of the wider Islamic Ummah and keeps the requirement that the President must be a Muslim.
