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Tunisians back new constitution, but with low turnout

26 July 2022 14:48 (UTC +04:00)

A new Tunisian constitution that the opposition warns may dismantle the country's democracy by greatly expanding presidential powers is set to take effect after a referendum on Monday that appeared to pass easily but with low turnout.

President Kais Saied ousted the parliament last year and moved to rule by decree, saying the country needed saving from years of paralysis as he rewrote the democratic constitution introduced after Tunisia's 2011 'Arab spring' revolution.

Opposition parties boycotted the referendum, accusing Saied of a coup and saying the new constitution he published less than a month ago augurs a slide back towards autocracy.

The new constitution gives the president power over both the government and judiciary while removing checks on his authority and weakening the parliament.

Tunisia, meanwhile, faces a looming economic crisis and is seeking an International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue package - issues that have preoccupied ordinary people far more over the past year than the political crisis.

There was no minimum level of participation for the measure to pass, and the electoral commission put preliminary turnout at only 27.5%.

Soon after an exit poll was published by Sigma Conseil, indicating a 'yes' vote of 92.3%, hundreds of Saied supporters flocked to the central Habib Bourguiba Avenue to celebrate.

"Sovereignty is for the people," "The people want to purify the country," they chanted, dismissing concerns over a return to autocracy.

"We're not afraid of anything. Only the corrupt and the officials who looted the state will be afraid," said Noura bin Ayad, a 46-year-old woman carrying a Tunisian flag.

Saied's initial moves against the parliament last year appeared hugely popular with Tunisians, as thousands flooded the streets to support him, venting fury at the political parties they blamed for years of misgovernance and decline.

However, as Tunisia's economy worsened over the past year with little intervention by Saied, his support appeared to wane.

Now that we have given him a new political mandate to confront the political lobbies, we ask Saied to take care of our economic situation, prices and food provision," said Naceur, one of his supporters out celebrating on Monday.