Shaaban Bilal (Cairo, Tunis)
Tunisians are awaiting the electoral programmes that will be announced by the candidates in the presidential elections, scheduled for October 6, especially those related to improving economic and social conditions, amid expectations of real competition in this race, which experts describe as “decisive” in the march towards the Third Republic.
Tunisian political analyst Al-Hadi Hamdoun said that the voters’ areas of interest will determine the issues on which presidential candidates will build their campaigns to attract votes, most notably the economic file, the high cost of living, inflation, and the trade deficit.
Hamdoun told Al-Ittihad that the second file is equally important, which is the social file, especially with regard to combating unemployment and employing unemployed university graduates, especially doctors, noting that the issue of purchasing power, or what Tunisians call “the basket,” will be a determinant for choosing the most suitable among the candidates.
Hamdoun added that the security situation is at the forefront of Tunisians’ concerns, especially the issue of African immigrants, which worries residents of many areas, in addition to the spread of crime, especially in working-class neighborhoods and major cities. These are the most important axes on which candidates are expected to build their programs in the short and long term, and any program that does not contain solutions, proposals, and serious programs will not attract the attention of voters of all categories.
In the same context, the head of the “Free Tunisia Forum”, Hazem Al-Qasuri, believes that the main files awaiting the presidential candidates are the most important economic reforms and responding to the people’s demands for development, which requires strong political will. He also believes that President Kais Saied responded to the demands of the street regarding holding corrupt people accountable, while other issues await him, such as the development file in the interior regions, drawing up a national regional plan to confront illegal immigration, finding solutions to water problems, and searching for new alternatives to protect food security. Al-Qasuri explained in a statement to “Al-Ittihad” that President Saied is a candidate who meets the realistic conditions that the Tunisian voter expects in the expected president to continue liberating and protecting the national decision.
In the summer of 2022, Tunisian voters approved, in a public referendum, a draft constitution for the country that established the foundations of a new system based on two councils with specific powers: the House of People’s Representatives and the National Council of Regions and Provinces. This constitutional amendment led to Tunisia moving from a parliamentary system of government to a presidential system of government.
Tunisian political analyst Nizar Jlidi considered the upcoming presidential elections to be important in the country’s history, especially after July 25, as they will determine the new project after years of weakness of the previous system. Jlidi told Al-Ittihad that Tunisia does not need to establish itself, but rather needs to restore its existing developmental, economic, social and political project, after the Tunisians have gone through pluralistic, democratic and parliamentary experiences. They are now on a new path in which the elections will be a real test of the people’s expression of their choices.
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