This archive report was first published on 6 October 2019.
On Sunday, Tunisians began voting for a new parliament, a crucial step in addressing the country's chronic economic problems. The election comes at a time when political newcomers are mounting a challenge to the established parties.
Eight years after the Tunisian Revolution, which inspired the Arab Spring, voters are disillusioned with the failure of repeated coalition governments to address a weak economy and declining public services. Unemployment stands at 15% nationally and 30% in some cities, higher than it was under the former autocrat, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
“After the revolution, we were all optimistic and our hopes were high. But hope has been greatly diminished now as a result of the disastrous performance of the rulers and the former parliament,” said Basma Zoghbi, a worker for Tunis municipality.
Any government that emerges from Sunday's election will face the competing demands of improving services and the economy while further reining in Tunisia's high public debt, a message pushed by international lenders. The largest party in parliament nominates the prime minister, who forms a government that shapes most domestic policy.
Weeks before the presidential vote, media mogul Nabil Karoui was detained over tax evasion and money laundering charges, which he denies. His success in the first round of the presidential election has put pressure on the established parties.
Ennahda and Heart of Tunisia have sworn not to join governments the other is part of, a stance that bodes ill for the give-and-take vital to forming an administration. If even the biggest party fails to win a large number of seats, it may struggle to build a coalition reaching the 109 MPs needed to secure majority support for a new government.
