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Africa North |
Women set to play a decisive role in Tunisia's elections after Essebsi's death |
2019-09-12 |
[ALARABY.CO.UK] With Tunisia's presidential election season underway, women voters have a great potential to determine its outcome. The question is whether this year's ballot will draw a sizeable part of the female electorate. Tunisian candidates started campaigning last week for the September 15 presidential elections, which were moved forward after the death in July of Beji Caid Essebsi, the first democratically elected head of state after the 2001 uprising that overthrew long-time dictator Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. More than seven million Tunisians are registered to vote in the crucial September ballot, with around 1.5 million casting their ballots for the first time. Data released by the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) indicate that the new voters are heavily women and youth, an encouraging sign considering 65 percent of voters abstained in the first democratic municipal polls last year. Voter turnout has relatively been low in each of the three post-revolution elections amid widespread public mistrust of the political system, and party politics in particular. |
Posted by:Fred |