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Only 8.8% of Tunisian voters cast ballots in Saturday's
parliamentary elections, the country's electoral commission
announced, after most political parties boycotted the vote as a
charade to shore up President Kais Saied's power.
"The preliminary data of legislative elections show the victory
of 21 candidates from the first round ... the second round of
these elections will include 133 districts", Mohamed Tlili
Mansri, the spokesperson of electoral commission said.
He added that the runoff will be on Jan. 20.
Under the new constitution drafted by Saied and approved by a
referendum last July, the new parliament will have very limited
powers.
With the main parties absent, a total of 1,058 candidates - only
120 of them women - were running for 161 seats.
For 10 of those - seven in Tunisia and three decided by
expatriate voters - there is just one candidate. A further seven
of the seats decided by expatriate voters have no candidates
running at all.
The election was part of a series of political changes made by
Saied after he shut down the previous parliament last year, in
moves his critics have called a coup.
After the turnout figures were announced, major parties, among
them the Salvation Front, which includes the Islamist Ennahda
party and its arch-rival, the Free Constitutional Party, said
Saied had no legitimacy and should step down, calling for
massive protests.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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