Tunisians will soon head to the polls for the second time this year, in the first legislative elections to occur since Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament on July 25, 2021. He later dissolved parliament on March 30, 2022.
The elections, taking place next week, will also be the first since the constitutional referendum took place on July 25 and after Mr Saied issued new electoral regulations on September 15.
Here is everything you need to know about the new guidelines for Tunisia’s electoral system.
Voting on individuals instead of partisan lists
Electoral Decree 55, issued by Mr Saied on September 15, states that voters will choose individual candidates instead of party lists — system that had regulated parliamentary elections in the country since 2014.
Following the new regulations, several political parties announced a boycott of the coming elections, criticising the new system as a method to exclude parties from public life and the decision-making process.
Observers say this new individual-based electoral system is ill-suited for a democracy as nascent as Tunisia’s and will only boost candidates who have money for campaigning or a prominent public profile.
Critics have also pointed to the gender disparity on the final list of candidates running in the December 17 elections, with only 122 of the final 1,055 candidates being women.
Feminist organisations say such numbers are a strong blow to gender parity rules for the new parliament.
New electoral constituency boundaries
Mr Saied has spoken on several occasions of his vision to establish stronger local democracy and distribute power outside of Tunis.
One aspect of this vision will be the creation of new electoral districts based on municipalities instead of governorates.
In this system, every two adjacent municipalities are merged into one electoral constituency, resulting in 151 constituencies inside the country and 10 for Tunisians living abroad.
Due to this redrawing of the electoral map, some constituencies were left with only one candidate and some have no candidates at all, according to the official lists published by Tunisia’s electoral commission on Saturday.
Self-funding for candidates
Unlike the 2014 elections, when the state granted political parties and independent candidates a certain amount of funding for their electoral campaigns, these elections will prohibit any external acquisition of funding, besides the funds possessed by the candidates themselves.
ISIE, Tunisia’s electoral commission, said that candidates are bound by the new electoral law to provide traceable justifications for their campaign funding sources.
They cannot receive any form of external funding, including foreign funding.
Powers to remove MPs from office
Tunisia’s new electoral law was amended with one extra clause that allows for the nullification of an MP's authority if they are found to be negligent in their duties.
A petition to remove them from office in this way can only happen once within an MP's term and only within the final six months of that period.
It also depends on certain factors, such as the number of citizens petitioning to remove the sitting MP.
Elections and results timeline
Tunisians inside the country are expected to head to the polls on December 17, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, an impoverished street vendor who self-immolated in protest against harassment by authorities. His actions sparked the 2010 uprising that changed the face of the country.
Tunisians living abroad will vote on December 15, 16 and 17.
The first vote counts, giving an indication of party gains and losses, are expected to be tallied and announced between December 18 and 20, then the preliminary results will be announced. Final results will be announced on January 19 after the conclusion of any appeals processes taken to Tunisia’s Administrative Court.
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Who is Ramon Tribulietx?
Born in Spain, Tribulietx took sole charge of Auckland in 2010 and has gone on to lead the club to 14 trophies, including seven successive Oceania Champions League crowns. Has been tipped for the vacant New Zealand national team job following Anthony Hudson's resignation last month. Had previously been considered for the role.
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
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