Tunisians voted to support a new constitution that strengthens the powers of President Kais Saied in a referendum that brought a record low participation rate, the electoral commission announced on Tuesday.
Results showed 94.6 per cent voted to change the constitution with just 5.4 per cent against the move.
Just 30.5 per cent of the country’s nine million eligible voters took part - 2.6 million - representing the lowest number of Tunisians to take part in a ballot since the country's 2011 revolution.
Most of the country's political parties and civil society organisations boycotted the referendum, considering it to be illegitimate.
Exit polling by Sigma suggested that nearly equal numbers of Tunisians voted yes as those who voted no or boycotted it, while 54 per cent of eligible voters did not take part for other reasons.
Mr Saied hailed the projected victory late on Monday night as he walked down Avenue Habib Bourguiba amid throngs of supporters.
“We will meet the hopes of all Tunisians everywhere so that the people take back their sovereignty and thrive through true democracy not a formal one,” he told the crowd.
“We will prosecute all those that committed crimes against the people and we will not leave a single millime [a unit of the dinar] from the money they stole on the table.”
Chokri Hellal, 54, was among those celebrating.
“I was waiting for this moment,” he said. “This is the result of 11 years of struggle, of people who were unable to meet the responsibility that was handed to them and who only thought about themselves and personal gain.”
Kaouther Mouldi, 41, who joined the crowds of supporters in their late-night revelry, said: “I’m very happy. I feel like flying. After 11 years of poverty, terrorism and ruin we finally took back our Tunisia; we took back our mother.”
Other Tunisians mourned the loss of what they said were the great gains made since Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in a popular uprising in 2011.
Opposition parties were defiant on Tuesday, saying the record low turnout was a blow to Mr Saied, not a victory.
Ahmed Najib Chebbi, the leader of a coalition of opposition parties called the Salvation Front, said the 75 per cent non-participation rate was a clear indicator that “the president has to leave his seat; he no longer has any excuse to remain in power”.
“He needs to empty his seat and call for a presidential and parliamentary elections so that peace and stability are restored,” he said at a press conference early on Thursday.
He also cited what he said were irregularities in the vote that could further undermine the result.
“The numbers released by the electoral commission are exaggerated and do not match what was observed by both citizens and national and international observers,” he said.
Mr Saied took control of the independent election commission this spring, replacing many of its top officers.
Irregularities and breaches of election rules — including a speech given by the president inside a polling station early on Monday, breaking the ban on campaigning on election day — were reported throughout the day.
The new charter replaces the first democratically drafted constitution in the Arab world, which was composed and ratified by an elected constituent assembly in 2014.
The controversial new constitution was drafted by a small committee of legal scholars before being heavily revised by the president.
Many of those who worked on the initial draft later condemned the president's version, saying it could be a dangerous step towards autocracy.
Mr Saied insisted it would enable him to “return Tunisia to the revolutionary path” as he tries to clean up corruption among the political class and create a bottom-up system of governance.
WHAT%20IS%20'JUICE%20JACKING'%3F
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
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'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
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Torque: 620Nm
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It Was Just an Accident
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
Company%20Profile
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
