Only 7% of Tunisian youth participate in politics, says minister

Tunisian Sports Minister Majdouline Cherni said on Friday that youth participation in the country’s political life does not exceed 7 per cent, Anadolu has reported. Cherni made her comments during an information meeting held in Tunis to announce the Society Dialogue about Youth Issues and Affairs to be organised by the sports ministry between 1 October and 13 November.

According to the minister, the weak participation of the Tunisian youth in politics is due to the situation of “despair and frustration” among them, which in turn is the result of poor employment opportunities.

The economic and social situation in Tunisia is bad, with national debt exceeding 62 per cent this year, the head of the government, Yousef Al-Shahid, has revealed. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose from 15.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 to 15.6 per cent in the second.

Young people make up about two-thirds of the total population which, according to 2014 population statistics, stands at 10,982,800. During the parliamentarian and presidential elections in 2014, the absence of youth votes was distinctly noticeable. Some NGOs said that it did not exceed 10 per cent.