Tunisians head to polls for second round of local elections

Voting polls began in Tunisia’s second local elections on Sunday amid a boycott by opposition political parties.

Polling stations in 785 electoral districts across the country opened at 8.00 a.m. local time (0700GMT) and will close at 6.00 p.m., according to the country’s electoral commission.

More than 4 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot in Sunday’s polls to choose local representatives, according to data from the election commission.

Voter turnout in the first round of the election, held on 24 December, was 11.84% three hours before the polling stations closed, according to electoral commission chief Farouk Bouasker.

Parties across the political spectrum vowed to boycott the election, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

Tunisia has been in the throes of deep political crisis that has aggravated the country’s economic conditions since 2021 when President Kais Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.

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