Tunisia sets date for the second round of parliamentary elections at the end of January | Africa

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Kasserine (Tunisia), December 17, 2022. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The Independent High Electoral Service (ISIE) of Tunisia On January 23, the country said that the country will hold the second round of parliamentary elections on January 29.

ISIE’s statement stated that polling stations nationwide will open to voters at 8am on January 29 (local time, or 2pm Vietnam time) and close at 6pm on the same day.

ISIE hopes more Tunisians will go to the polls because in the first round of elections, which will take place on December 17, 2022, turnout vote low, reaching only 11.22% of the total of more than 9 million registered voters and only 23 candidates.

The second round of elections will attempt to claim 131 seats in the 161-member parliament, while no candidate contests the seven seats reserved for overseas constituencies.

[Tunisia: Bầu cử quốc hội vòng 2 sẽ diễn ra vào đầu năm sau]

In December 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied confirmed the plan to hold a referendum on the Constitution in July 2022, before holding parliamentary elections at the end of 2022. Before that, in March 2022 Mr. Saied announced the dissolution of the Tunisian National Assembly.

The Congress voting Tunisia’s first round comes following three weeks of barely noticeable campaigning with few posters on the streets and no serious debate on the issue. economic recovery.

The event comes nearly a year and a half following President Kais Saied dissolved parliament and following months of political deadlock and an economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inflation in Tunisia is currently around 10%. Shortages of milk, sugar and gasoline frequently occur, leading to an increasing wave of migration.

Nguyen Truong (VNA/Vietnam+)