Tunisia election: exit polls point to landslide win for 'Robocop' Kais Saied

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/14/tunisia-election-exit-polls-point-to-landslide-win-for-robocop-kais-saied

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Political outsider Kais Saied has thanked the country’s young people “for turning a new page” in Tunisia after exit polls pointed to a landslide victory for the conservative academic in a presidential runoff with media magnate Nabil Karoui.

In a contest that reflected Tunisia’s shifting post-revolution political landscape, Saied, an independent, scooped 72.5% of the vote according to the Emrhold exit poll, and 76.9% in the Sigma one – more than 40 points ahead of Karoui.

Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Tunis to celebrate Saied’s victory, honking horns and singing the national anthem. “It’s a historic day: Tunisia is reaping the fruits of the revolution,” said Boussairi Abidi, a 39-year-old mechanic. “Kais Saied is going to put an end to corruption, he will be a fair president.”

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The official results are expected onMonday.

In his first reaction, Saied thanked the country’s young people and vowed to try to build “a new Tunisia”. About 90% of 18- to 25-year-olds voted for Saied, according to estimates by the Sigma polling institute, compared with 49.2% of voters over 60.

“Kais Saied, voice of the people,” a gathered crowd chanted. “Long live Tunisia!”

The runoff was contested by two political newcomers – Saied, nicknamed “Robocop,” and businessman Karoui, who was dubbed Tunisia’s “Berlusconi”.

They trounced the old guard in a first round of voting on 15 September, highlighting voter anger at a stagnant economy, joblessness and poor public services in the cradle of the Arab Spring.

Karoui walked free from prison on Wednesday, having spent more than a month behind bars on suspicion of money-laundering.

The poll, Tunisia’s second free presidential elections since its 2011 revolt, followed the death of president Beji Caid Essebsi in July. Turnout was higher than in the first round, and estimated at around 57%.

In one polling station, voters said they were divided between “the one who will apply the law” and the one “who helps the poor”, referring to a charity television show that boosted Karoui’s popularity.

Karoui portrayed himself as a bulwark against political Islam, which he accused his rival of supporting.

Saied, a 61-year-old constitutional law expert, whose low-cost, door-to-door campaign caught fire in the country, called for Tunisians “to make a choice today in complete freedom”.

“You have created a new concept of revolution, let your conscience guide you,” he said, casting his ballot.

Saied campaigned upon the values of the 2011 revolution, based on opposition to westernised and corrupt elites, and in favour of radical decentralisation.

H A Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, tweeted: “Congratulations to Tunisia; less for whom they voted, and more for showing a continued commitment to resolving differences via peaceful transitions.”

Without a doubt, Kais Saied has won the Tunisian presidential elections of 2019 - and by a pretty large margin. Congratulations to Tunisia; less for whom they voted, and more for showing a continued committment to resolving differences via peaceful transitions. #TunisiaDecides pic.twitter.com/QvYeW7mfPC

For what was the third election in four weeks, some Tunisians organised car-sharing and free transport for students who had to travel far to their home towns to cast their ballots.

“I am doing it out of love for my country. I support the one who embodies hope for Tunisia,” said taxi driver Bakri who offered free rides to Saied supporters between Tunis and the coastal city of Nabeul.

While the candidates were both seen as anti-establishment figures, the contrast between them was sharp, with Saied earning his nickname for his rigid and austere manner.

A social conservative, he has defended the death penalty, criminalisation of homosexuality and a sexual assault law that punishes unmarried couples who engage in public displays of affection.

Saied taught at the Tunis faculty of judicial and political sciences for nearly two decades.

Karoui presented himself as a candidate for the poor and the appeal of the flamboyant candidate, who always appeared in designer suits, stemmed largely from his media empire and philanthropic activity.

After the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Nessma TV channel that Karoui founded turned from entertainment programming towards news, becoming one of Tunisia’s largest private broadcasters.