Voters in Tunisia voted in favor of populist President Kais Saied’s new constitution in a referendum on Monday, but turnout was low. Only 27.5 percent of the 9.3 million eligible voters showed up, according to the country’s electoral commission.
According to an exit poll by Sigma Conseil, 92.3 percent of voters voted to adopt the constitution. Since no threshold for turnout has been set, the constitution is adopted.
Opposition members boycotted the referendum and accused Saied of a coup. The new constitution, announced just a month ago, is pushing Tunisia back to the autocracy it was before the 2011 democratic revolution, according to the opposition. Protesters took to the streets last weekend to protest the referendum.
In the original constitution, much attention was paid to proportional power relations between the president and parliament and also enshrined equality between men and women in the law – unique in the Arab world.
The new constitution will give the president more power over the government and the judiciary while removing controls on presidential power. Parliament will also be in a weaker position as a result of the new constitution.
Saied dismissed the prime minister last summer, installed a new prime minister and sidelined parliament. He rules by decree. Critics consider his actions a coup d’état.
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