Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tunisia falls out of love with democracy - right on the eve of elections

Polling shows support for democracy has dropped from 63 per cent in 2012 to 48 per cent

Paul Schemm
Sunday 26 October 2014 08:35 GMT
Comments
Tunisians will vote for their first five-year parliament since they overthrew dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011
Tunisians will vote for their first five-year parliament since they overthrew dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Tunisians will vote today for their first five-year parliament since they overthrew dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

But polling from the Pew Research centre in Tunisia shows support for democracy has dropped from 63 per cent in 2012 to 48 per cent, while demand for a strong leader rose from 37 per cent to 59 per cent.

In 2013, a coalition dominated by the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party stepped down in favour of a technocratic government. The constitution it wrote is described as one of the most progressive in the region but turmoil and deadlock have kept away foreign aid, tourism and investment. The economy is now the big issue in the election.

Disaffection is particularly strong among the young; in Tunis neighbourhoods such as Tadamon it is hard to find any young people registered to vote.

“We’ve had five governments since 2011 and nothing has changed,” says Qais Jebali, who works in a café. “The poor people don’t trust the government.” (AP)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in