2024-10-02 05:00:07
The volunteer manager of the Kaïs Saïed presidential campaign in the small agricultural town of Haffouz, 40 kilometers from Kairouan, in central Tunisia, Raed Kassebi sits in a cafe near the service station that marks the entrance to the city, after participating in a poster campaign in the local area.
An ex-soldier, married and father of three children, a gray beard accentuating his facial features, Mr. Kassebi, 38, took early retirement in 2022, after a work accident. Freed from the reserve duty imposed by his military position, he can now appear as a supporter of Kaïs Saïed, a candidate for his re-election during the presidential election on October 6.
The young father himself ran in the 2023-2024 local elections, without success. Far from being discouraged, he now spends his free time campaigning for President Saïed. “I have been supportive since 2019 and even more enthusiastic since I retired. I have no regrets at all.”he specified with determination.
Since the transition of his mandate began on July 25, 2021, when he took full power after dissolving the National Assembly, It seems that the Head of State is gradually losing the support of Tunisians, although many have welcomed his. “power”. The last legislative (2022-2023) and regional (2023-2024) election only mobilized around 11% of voters.
“Kaïs Saïed fulfills his promises”
The ability of Kaïs Saïed to mobilize the population for the next general election raises questions, while only two candidates – Zouhair Maghzaoui, the former deputy of the pan-Arab left, and Ayachi Zammel, the leader of a small independent party , sent to prison for lying. of sponsors – is authorized to run against him in the October 6 election.
In Kairouan, one of the poorest governorates in Tunisia, with more than a third of its inhabitants living below the poverty line according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the popularity of the head of State still seems who he is. holding its own.
Regions such as Haffouz, Oueslatia and El Alaa, often cited by the media for incidents, such as self-immolations, suicides or feminism, recorded participation rates of around 20% in legislative elections the latter – slightly more than the national average – despite the withdrawal of the opposition parties and the frequent absence during the previous elections.
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