President Saied of Tunisia Wins Landslide Victory, Not Without Controversy

On Sunday, October 6, 2024 President Kais Saied of Tunisia won reelection in a landslide victory. The election has drawn significant attention and controversy due to its stark departure from the democratic norms embraced in Tunisia in the decade following the 2011 Tunisian revolution, in which citizens revolted against and ousted ruling dictator Ben Ali. After this revolt, elections were far more democratic, featuring genuinely free and fair campaigns, however since then President Saied has consolidated power, threatening this progress and causing concerning democratic backsliding. This election featured three candidates: President Saied, Zouhair Maghzaoui, the Secretary General of the People’s Movement and former supporter of Saied, and lesser-known businessman Ayachi Zammel. Despite two additional candidates making the ballot alongside Saied, many of the potential candidates for President faced difficulties and outright obstructions in their pursuit of taking office. This primarily stemmed from the restructuring of Tunisia’s election commission, which Saied initiated in 2022. The commission played a significant role in preventing candidates from moving forward with their campaigns, disqualifying fourteen of the seventeen who formally filed papers for failing to acquire the required number of signatures, failing to meet national criteria, or failing to provide a sufficient financial guarantee. An additional seven potential candidates were unable to submit any paperwork to run, as Tunisia’s Minister of Interior could not provide them with legal documents proving they had no criminal past history, citing the sole authority of the commission to handle electoral affairs. Accordingly, the election committee also rejected a Tunisian administrative courts request for three of the candidates to be reinstated, stating, “The commission is the only body constitutionally entrusted with the integrity of election.” Local activists have protested the election commission’s undemocratic actions, demanding that members step down. One protestor, Hichem Ajbouni, described the state of the election as “A complete coup against the will of the voters……[that] sets a precedent in election history that the commission does not respect the decision of the Administrative Court.” This statement underscores a significant concern that public trust in the democratic process in Tunisia has been eroded tremendously by the disregard of the voters' desires. 

In addition to setting a precedent of Executive dominance, President Saied’s government has taken unprecedented steps to ensure that his opponents are disenfranchised. Since September 2022, Saied’s regime has arrested dozens of political opponents and media figures who have spoken out against his rule, citing his Decree Law 54. Under the Decree, the government can fine or imprison “any person who knowingly uses information and communication systems and networks to produce, spread, disseminate, send, or write false news… with the aim of infringing the rights of others or harming public safety;” penalties are twofold for public officials. However, the decree purposefully employs highly vague language, leaving a massive amount of discretion to the judiciary. Several potential candidates have been imprisoned under this law, including Sami Ben Slama, a former member of the election committee himself. Another article enacted in 2022, titled Article 89, targets potential opponents by setting an additional set of roadblocks based on identity,, stating that presidential candidates must trace their Tunisian heritage back to their grandparents.” This rendered several candidates ineligible to run for the office of President, cementing Saied’s chance of victory in 2024. 

 Saied’s domino effect of undemocratic actions occurred prior to 2022. In 2021, the president initiated a series of dramatic actions that effectively dismantled the country’s democratic institutions, a move that many have referred to as a self-coup. On July 25, 2021, citing a national emergency due to large scale protests across Tunisia concerning economic missteps connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament and dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Saied also seized full control of the government’s executive branch and froze the immunity of parliamentarians, surrounding Tunisia’s parliament building with military vehicles to prevent lawmakers and others from entering. This alarming wave of democratic backsliding also led to the drafting of a new constitution, after Saied took action to suspend the 2014 version of the Tunisian constitution. The new constitution, drafted in 2021 and ratified in a highly contested referendum in 2022, centralized power in the hands of the President and allowed Saied to rule primarily through decree, bypassing parliament entirely. 

A multifaceted attack on Tunisia’s democratic structures set the stage for a heavily corrupt environment for the 2024 election. President Saied’s primary competitors were weakened or outright disqualified, leading to an almost guaranteed electoral outcome. At the same time, Saied’s institutional guarantees were aided by reluctant voting among citizens. The turnout in the 2024 election was historically low, with less than 28 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots, stemming from public disillusionment with Saied’s power grabs and a weakened trust in the integrity of the democratic process in Tunisia. According to exit polls, Saied received an overwhelming 89.2 percent of the vote, achieving a landslide victory. This election marks a significant turning point in Tunisia, as the country moves further and further from its post-revolutionary image as a beacon of democracy in North Africa.