Tunisia's incumbent President Kais Saied is set to win the country's presidential election with 89.2 per cent support despite a low turnout, according to exit polls broadcast on national TV on Sunday.
Mr Saied is expected to win by a landslide, routing his challengers – imprisoned rival Ayachi Zammel, who was set to collect 6.9 per cent of the vote, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, with 3.9 per cent, said independent polling group Sigma Conseil.
The Tunisian electoral board, ISIE, is set to announce the official election results on Monday.
“What Tunisia is going through today is a continuation of its revolution,” Mr Saied on Sunday night told Al Wataneya at his electoral campaign headquarters.
Three years after he staged a sweeping power grab, rights groups fear re-election will further entrench his rule in the country, which became the only democracy to emerge from the Arab uprisings of 2011.
With the removal of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia prided itself on being the birthplace of the regional revolts against authoritarianism. But the North African country's path changed dramatically soon after Mr Saied's election in 2019.
“We will build [the country] in the way that the people want it and we will purge it from the corrupt and corruptors, sceptics and conspirators, and I am not exaggerating in saying so,” he said.
Mr Saied cast his vote alongside his wife in the affluent Ennasr neighbourhood, north of Tunis, in the morning.
Shortly after the exit polls were announced, hundreds of supporters took to the street celebrating his expected win. Mr Maghzaoui denied the accuracy of the exit polls and accused the state-owned national television station of trying to deceive the public and showing bias towards Mr Saied.
“Unfortunately, these exit polls results are not correct and lack accuracy, all the data we have from on the ground indicate the opposite,” he told journalists at his campaign’s headquarters. “This is an attempt to pave the way for the public opinion to accept the results that will be announced tomorrow.”
Mr Maghzaoui called on the election authority to assume its responsibility in protecting the electoral process, and the country’s security forces and military to prevent any attempts to tamper with it. “This is not just a matter of elections, it is a matter of Tunisia’s national security and the safety of its future,” he said.
The ISIE said about 9.7 million people were eligible to vote, in a country with a population of about 12.6 million. Only 27.7 per cent of voters turned out to cast their ballots, it said. More than 58 per cent were men, and 65 per cent aged between 36 and 60.
This year's turnout figure compared to 45 per cent in 2019 and is the lowest the country has recorded in a presidential vote since its 2011 uprising.
Plastic tipping points
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While you're here
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
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Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
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Real Madrid 2
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Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
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3,000 technicians
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Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
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Price: upon application
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Sanju
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Director: Rajkumar Hirani
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Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
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Tomorrow 2021
Moon Music
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Plastic tipping point
Company%20profile
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
