Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
Cast your mind back to 2014, when Tunisia held its first free and fair presidential elections. Around 60 per cent of eligible voters went to the polls, full of hope as the country emerged as a rare democracy after the Arab Spring uprisings. Kais Saied was elected as president in 2019 in a wave of optimism at a time of deep economic crisis, with a 49 per cent turnout. But during his term he has turned Tunisia into a de facto autocracy, dismantling democratic institutions, granting himself sweeping powers, repressing political dissidents and discriminating against minorities – including sub-Saharan African migrants, for which Saied’s government still receives millions in budget support from the European Union and Italy. Saied – who says he is fighting a corrupt elite – was re-elected this week with more than 90 per cent of the vote, after potentially promising opponents were disqualified or arrested. Voter turnout? Down to 29 per cent.
