(3 minutes read)
Tunisia is holding its legislative elections on December 17, which will witness contests among over 1000 candidates. However, most political parties have called for a boycott in protest against the constitutional reforms carried out by President Kais Saied last July
Tunisia is holding its legislative elections on December 17, which will witness contests among over 1000 candidates. However, most political parties have called for a boycott in protest against the constitutional reforms carried out by President Kais Saied last July.
The new parliament will be composed of 161 deputies. However, their powers will be curtailed. In the meantime, the north African country is in the grip of a deep financial crisis which has resulted in recurrent shortages of basic products like sugar, milk, rice, etc. The inflation is galloping at 9.8%.
Tunisian President Kais Saied released a new electoral law on September 15 that will be the basis for the December legislative elections. The law vests the president’s wide-ranging powers before, during, and after the election of the council. The elections will replace the democratically elected Parliament, which was dismissed. The law only applies to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, with provisions to cover the newly created secondary legislative chamber, the National Council of Regions and Districts.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/tunisian-educated-youth-emigrating-to-germany/
https://trendsnafrica.com/summit-of-the-international-organisation-of-francophone-in-tunisia/
https://trendsnafrica.com/eus-grant-to-tunisia-to-tie-down-its-financial-crisis/
There is a section of people, who believe that the law is yet another blow to Tunisia’s democratic progress and weakens political parties. It removes quotas for women candidates and candidates under 35 that helped the country to make gains toward gender and age parity in its legislature, they maintain. He also ended the party-based electoral system to a dispensation based on individuals; they allege.
