Tunisians vote in local elections on Sunday to fill a new chamber as economy flatlines

Tunisians head to vote in local elections on Sunday to populate a new second legislative chamber focused on economic development

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Butter and milk shortages. Political party boycotts. Ongoing prosecutions of the president’s critics.

This is the environment in which Tunisians will head to the polls on Sunday for the country's first local elections since President Kais Saied wrote a new constitution that voters approved last year.

Voting will determine the composition of a new National Council of Regions and Districts — one component of Saied’s vision to reshape politics in Tunisia, the country that sparked the region-wide uprisings that became known as the Arab Spring 12 years ago.

The new legislative chamber is designed to focus on economic development and candidates have campaigned on the radio about building schools, roads and other infrastructure. It harkens back to Saied's campaign promise to distribute power and funds far from Tunisia's capital. Tunis is synonymous with widely criticized government bureaucracy whose unpopularity helped fuel Saied's rise.

But despite the transformation promised, few signs of enthusiasm about elections and their ability to buoy Tunisia are apparent. In the 13th election since the 2011 revolution, there's little understanding about the stakes, what the new chamber has the power to do and whether voting even matters.