TUNIS: Tunisians began voting on Saturday to elect a new parliament in polls dismissed as a sham by the opposition.
Polling stations in the North African country opened at 8 am and will close at 6 pm.
Voting was sluggish in the morning at some polls visited by reporters.
But, head of a commission in charge of election, Farouk Bouasker, expected balloting to gradually pick up in the coming hours.
The election comes after months of political turmoil and economic hardships in Tunisia.
In March, President Kais Saied dissolved parliament, part of a string of measures
that the opposition decried as a “coup.”
Last year, Saied, an ex-law professor, unseated the government and suspended parts of a 2014 constitution that curtailed the president’s powers in favour of parliament and the prime minister.
In July this year, a controversial new constitution granting Saied wider powers was approved in a referendum. Around 30% of some 9.2 million eligible voters participated in the vote.
Saied on Saturday called the parliamentary vote a “historic day” and urged Tunisians to cast their ballots.
“It is a historic day by all standards. It was determined and respected despite all obstacles,” he said after voting at a polling station in the capital Tunis.
In recent months, Saied’s opponents have staged a series of street protests against his measures.
The main opposition parties have said they will boycott Saturday’s vote and accused Saied of a power grab in Tunisia.
According to a new electoral law, the number of seats in the legislature will be reduced from 217 to 161.
Candidates are to be elected as individuals, not on party lists, a system seen as weakening political parties.
A total of 1,055 contenders are standing for election.
Some Tunisians sounded apathetic to election.
“No-one here is interested or knows about the candidates,” said Yassin El Ferchichi, a young man, on a Tunis boulevard known for its cafes.
“Can they (candidates) change people’s life and send prices down? They are a mere decoration,” he said on eve of the vote.
“The political situation has worsened economy. The crisis is complicated and will not be solved by mock elections,” El Ferchichi added.
Saied, who took office in 2019, has repeatedly defended his moves, saying they were in line with the constitution.
He has promised to safeguard basic freedoms and civil rights.
—dpa
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