Shaban Bilal (Tunisia, Cairo)

Yesterday, Tunisians celebrated the victory of the referendum on the new constitution, a step towards a “new republic”, while Tunisian President Gais Said announced the country’s entry into a “new phase” after approving the constitution, the people insisted. Recover their wealth and pay the criminals, the price is legal.
“What the people have done is a lesson and Tunisians have excelled in leading it to the world,” he said in a speech to supporters on Habib Bourguiba Street in central Tunis. Legislation will be enacted to serve them.
“We will build Tunisia together until it returns to what it was and better than it was,” he said, adding that “the people have the right to demand accountability for those who abused it.”
He continued, “We will strive in the coming days to fulfill all the demands, it will take some time, we must shorten the distance in history until the people regain their full sovereignty, only then will the political and social miseries end. He added, “We were living in a formal democracy of consumption abroad, and we went from the shores of despair and hopelessness to the shores of hope.”
Said stressed that the first decision after the referendum would be to establish an “electoral law”: “The new constitution will be a constitution that promotes the republic and that will work to achieve all the demands of the Tunisian people.”
Political experts and analysts see the large turnout in the polls as a victory for President Qaiz Saeed, especially the Brotherhood, and a renewal of public confidence.
Tunisian political analyst Nisar Geledi confirmed that the vote on the new constitution by more than 90% did not come as a surprise to most Tunisians.
Al-Jalidi explained to Al-Ittihad that the majority of those who voted “yes” voted this way with the desire to end the “Brotherhood’s” rule. Some three million Tunisians and others like the peaceful majority want a return to the past and the establishment of a “new republic” that derives its strength from the new constitution and distance from corruption and political lobbies. The Tunisian political analyst added, “What happened was not only a referendum on the new constitution, but a renewal of confidence in President Qais Said, the owner of the new national plan, and he celebrated with them immediately after the referendum. He promised to purge the capital’s main street of corrupt people and those who committed crimes against the country. Under the new electoral system, parties will no longer be central, but people will vote directly.
The head of the Independent High Commission for Elections in Tunisia, Farouk Bouskar, reported a 27.54% voter turnout in the referendum on the constitution.
Bouaskar said: “The participation of 2,458,985 voters within Tunisia is 27.54% of the registered voters.” He also pointed out that the operation went smoothly without any incident.
According to Bouskar, the number of registered voters within Tunisia is 8,929,665 voters, distributed among 51% women and 49% men.
Although the majority voted “yes”, Tunisian political analyst Mundar Thabet felt that the turnout was lower than expected in laying the foundations of a “new republic” of the electorate.
Thabet explained to Al-Ittihad that there is unrest among the general Tunisian population of the political class, but despite that there is high confidence in President Kais Syed.
Thabet added, “The new constitution ends the possibility of the Brotherhood remaining as a dominant political party, which, due to the nature of the presidential system, prevents the Ennahda movement from being the dominant party that would command a majority in presidential elections. A Brotherhood figure is impossible.”
In turn, Muhammad Hamida, a political analyst and researcher on Arab affairs, pointed out that the percentage of “yes” votes on the new constitution exceeded everyone’s expectations, but admitted that the total participation rate was not the percentage desired by President Qais Said. He sought a larger participation rate acting as a “mandate of the people”.
Hemida also told Al-Ittihad that more than 90% voted “yes” in hopes of getting rid of the “black decade of the Brotherhood” and a desire for a different reality, especially at the economic and social levels. The street is expecting fundamental changes.