Jakarta –
Over the past weekend, Tunisia has stepped further and further from democracy towards authoritarianism.
In fact, the country of the Maghrib is often praised as a success story of the 2011 Arab Spring, because it chose democracy after overthrowing the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
But that optimism dimmed in the legislative elections last Sunday (29/1), when only 11.3 percent of the nearly eight million voters took part, according to monitoring by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
That’s why a number of residents called this democratic party a “magical election.”
It is Tunisia’s largest party, Ennahda, which has invited opposition parties and civil society organizations to boycott the elections. They blamed President Kais Saied for undermining parliamentary authority.
“We see this political contestation driven by Saied as illegitimate due to low turnout,” Imred Khemiri, spokesperson for Ennahda told DW. “This election only exacerbated the complexity,” in Tunisia. “Obviously a large part of the population rejects this course.”
Since being elected in 2021, Saied has slowly pushed through a “constitutional coup” and has since ruled unilaterally by presidential decree.
The election last weekend was seen as a test of Saied’s legitimacy. However, the low level of participation and various irregularities reported by foreign observers have only dimmed Tunisia’s democracy.
What will happen to Tunisia?
“What we can predict clearly is that the near-term prospects for Tunisia are very gray, economically, politically and socially,” said Monica Marks, Professor of Middle East Politics at New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
According to him, Saied will stay in power, at least for a while. But the economy will take a further hit, he continued.
Ines Jaibi, a democracy activist in Tunisia, on the other hand, is more optimistic.
He believes that political developments in Tunisia have actually brought opposition groups closer together. He gave examples of collaboration between the largest trade unions, the General Labor Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Human Rights League, bar associations and political parties.
“The democratic opposition is still fragmented,” he said. “However, in the midst of the economic crisis, a new dynamic emerged. Now, we have one goal, namely to overthrow Saied’s power. The opposition has not died, it has strengthened.”
Hit by an economic crisis
Whatever happens, Tunisia still has to work hard to prevent bankruptcy. Since the 2011 protests that overthrew the Ben Ali dictatorship, the whole country has been in crisis one after another.
The World Bank reports that a decade since the fall of Ben Ali, economic growth and the flow of foreign investment funds in Tunisia has declined drastically.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on important foreign exchange earners such as tourism, the impact of the role in Tunisia, high inflation and foreign debt have made the situation more complicated.
Not long ago, Tunisia experienced a shortage of staples such as milk and a spike in the price of vegetable oil.
“Tunisia is in an uncomfortable situation, where a democratic system has been paralyzed since July 2021,” said Murad al-Bakhti, a 35-year-old digital entrepreneur. “Plus, the president and his government have not provided a clear vision for tackling the economic crisis.”
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(haf/haf)
