Summary:

This week, National Salvation Front (NSF) leader Ahmed Nejib Chebbi called for a boycott of the local council elections scheduled for 24 December, raising additional concerns that low voter turnout will threaten the validity of the elections. 

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Chebbi, who lead’s Tunisia’s main body of political leaders and parties standing in opposition to President Kais Saied, called for all political bodies and citizens to boycott the election, asserting the election is illegitimate. Chebbi claimed that participation in the election will be low, as it was in past elections that followed President Saied’s suspension of parliament in July 2021. 

Chebbi called again for a national dialogue, raising concerns about public finances and the country’s economic future if a consensus cannot be reached. 

Outlook: 

Tunisia’s political opposition has thus far failed to mobilize a substantial portion of the population to stand in opposition to President Saied. The NSF remains a vocal, but numerically small group of political voices that lacks significant influence amongst Tunisians.  

While turnout in past elections was low, this was likely more attributable to general political apathy and skepticism than to the ability of the NSF to rally support for their boycotts.  

The upcoming elections are likely to produce a similar result, with many Tunisians either content to see what President Saied can accomplish or disinterested in politics altogether. 

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