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Tunisian Voters Approve President’s Power Grab in Referendum Boycotted by Opposition

HeadlineJul 26, 2022

In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has claimed victory in his bid to gain sweeping new powers after winning a constitutional referendum in an election boycotted by most opposition parties. An exit poll showed over 93% of votes cast were in favor of changing Tunisia’s Constitution to grant the president broad executive power with greater control over the parliament and the judiciary. But turnout in Monday’s election was very low, with fewer than 2 million people casting ballots in a country of over 9 million registered voters. Opposition groups say Saied is bringing authoritarian rule back to Tunisia after an uprising against poverty and corruption swept aside longtime leader Ben Ali in 2011, inspiring Arab Spring protests across North Africa and the Middle East.

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