Saied’s low turnout win in Tunisia election sparks repression concerns

Preliminary results show Saied winning 90.7 percent of the vote with 28.8 percent turnout, revealing deep divisions.

Tunisians are reckoning with what preliminary results suggest will be a landslide victory for incumbent Kais Saied in the presidential election despite a markedly low turnout.

In a contest marked by judicial controversy, widespread accusations of rigging and one of the three-man field languishing in prison, few believed that Saied would struggle to emerge victorious.

The preliminary results published by the electoral commission on Monday give Saied 90.7 percent of the vote, but turnout was a mere 28.8 percent, highlighting how divided the North African country is.

Earlier the same evening, the man accused by many of rolling back many of the gains the country has made since its 2011 revolution gave some indication of what his renewed mandate might mean, breaking off from what had presumably been a victory celebration to tell the national television channel: “This is a continuation of the revolution. We will build and will cleanse the country of the corrupt, traitors and conspirators.”