TUNIS: Dissatisfaction with established parties in Tunisian politics means Sunday’s parliamentary elections may not yield a clear winner, complicating the process of coalition building at a pivotal moment for the economy.
Reflecting the uncertain atmosphere, two leading parties have sworn not to join governments containing the other, a stance that bodes ill for the give-and-take vital to forming an administration.
Eight years after the revolution which triggered the “Arab Spring” uprisings, many Tunisians have grown disillusioned with an establishment that has failed to improve living standards.
“I won’t vote because I’m convinced the new rulers will be worse than the previous ones,” said Karim Abidi, a 29-year-old hairdresser in Tunis who said he wants to join the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to work in Italy.
Though Tunisian politics has long involved secular and Islamist groups competing in elections then sharing power, an emerging populism threatens an end to compromise.
Three weeks ago, in a separate presidential election, voters turned on all the main players in government, rejecting prominent politicians to send a pair of political newcomers through to a second-round runoff.
On Oct. 13, Kais Saied, an independent with conservative social views, will face Nabil Karoui, a media mogul who has been in detention since August accused of money laundering and tax fraud, which he denies.
