Tunisian youth skip presidential vote
Tunisia’s presidential elections are seeing a low youth voter turnout, as many young Tunisians are frustrated that the candidates are not addressing their core issues: employment and economic opportunity.
TUNIS, Tunisia — Late Sunday afternoon, Nov. 23, Serine Limam, 21, purposefully strolled into a polling station in La Goulette, a suburb of Tunisia’s capital. She was resolute in her reasons for voting in Tunisia’s first free presidential elections. “It’s important for youth to vote because it is our future,” she told Al-Monitor.
Many of her friends did not feel the same way. “They think that, no matter what, Tunisia is not going to move forward and that their vote won’t change anything,” Limam said.
In Sunday’s election, Limam was the exception rather than the rule. By 4:30 p.m., youth comprised only about 10% of those who came to vote in the electoral district of Tunis 2, according to polling station director Noor al-Huda Sassi.
The trend of low youth participation was observed across the country, Wissem Missaoui, director of youth programs at Search for Common Ground in Tunisia, told Al-Monitor. “It was clear they were really not interested in participating,” he said.
