Few outside Tunisia would have predicted that a low profile constitutional law professor would win the Tunisian Presidential elections with a landslide victory this October. Kais Saied’s victory over his opponent the controversial media magnate, Nabil Karoui, proves the Tunisian voters’ determination for sweeping changes in the country’s governance. Disenchanted with politicians of different leanings, and their collective failures since the end of autocratic rule in 2011, Tunisians seek a new leadership. They want to see a comprehensive governmental approach that tackles social and economic inequities grappling the country, while allowing full freedom of expression and independent media voices.
Saied’s landslide victory speaks volumes. He won with nearly 73 % of the vote in the second round of the snap presidential election following the death of Beji Caid Essebsi, the first democratically elected president since Tunisia’s independence from France in 1956. Young voters find his views more compatible with the Tunisian democratic process than his late rival. Despite his lack of direct political experience, Saied earned a positive reputation over the past years, particularly among unemployed young people, for being an independent academic and an astute observer of political and social issues in Tunisia. His conscious distancing from self-serving politicians, combined with his determination to tackle the rising corruption and social and economic problems widened his circle of supporters.
In tandem, social media played an important role in Saied’s victory. A strong network of young activists amplified his voice in the electoral campaign through Twitter and Facebook, along with ubiquitous canvassing on the streets, calling for urgent social, economic and political reform to help unemployed and impoverished Tunisians. His victory has dealt a severe blow to political parties seeking to further their own interests rather than strengthening the rule of law.
