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Retired academic wins Tunisia election- exit poll

8 || risingbd.com

Published: 20:26, 13 October 2019   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Retired academic wins Tunisia election- exit poll

Retired academic Kais Saied is set to become president of Tunisia, exit polls suggest.

The poll said the law professor, 61, had secured 76% of the votes. No official results have been published.

He was up against media mogul Nabil Karoui, 56, who campaigned from prison after being arrested on charges of money laundering and tax fraud.

He denies the charges and officials have warned he may appeal, arguing he has not been allowed a fair campaign.

Mr Karoui, who was freed by a court order just four days ago, came second in the first round of voting, with 15.6% of the vote to Mr Saied's 18.4%.

Tunisia's privately owned radio station Mosaique FM quoted a member of the country's Independent Higher Authority for Elections, Adel Brinsi, as saying that turnout has "exceeded 50%".

Nicknamed "the robot", Mr Saied has run a shrewd and hard campaign, with almost no advertising, on a message of integrity and anti-corruption targeted at young Tunisian voters.

In the week before the polls, he announced that he would not campaign while his rival was in prison.

He has promised electoral reforms, including changes to local elections for regional representatives.

Critics have attacked his conservative social views, however.

In an interview with a local newspaper, he accused foreign powers of encouraging homosexuality in the country.

He is in favour of restoring the death penalty, suspended since 1994 in Tunisia, and has said that if he wins the presidency, his wife will not be the country's first lady.

As for Mr Karoui, he is dubbed Nabil "Makrouna" (pasta) for his charity's distribution of money and bags of the staple food.

Supporters view him as a self-made businessman, and praise his philanthropy in a country facing rising living costs and youth unemployment.

He founded the charity to fight poverty - a central theme of his campaign.

Opponents have accused Mr Karoui of using his popular TV station, Nessma, to further his political ambitions.

He was arrested in August on charges of tax evasion and money-laundering shortly before the campaign opened.

The charges have not been dropped, despite his release from prison.

His supporters say powerful forces in Tunisia have conspired to scuttle his candidacy, but authorities say his arrest was based on a three-year-old investigation.

Source: BBC
 

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