The turnout at the closing of polling stations, as part of the referendum on the new Constitution in Tunisia was 27.54%, the Independent Superior Electoral Authority (ISIE) annouced.
During a press briefing, the president of the Authority, Farouk Bouasker, said that a little more than 2.4 million voters voted among more than 8.9 million registered on the electoral register.
“We have reported a perfect organisation during the different stages of the referendum process,” added the head of the Tunisian electoral body, welcoming the behaviour of voters.
He said the counting process would be easier than that of the 2019 legislative elections.
“At the latest tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, the preliminary results would be disclosed, pending appeals,” he added.
The electoral body will have three days to decide on the preliminary results of the referendum while the final results will be announced by 28 August.
An exit poll, conducted by the opinion polling institute “Sigma Conseil”, and reported by the Tunisian public television, shows 92.3% of “yes” for the draft of the new Constitution.
The “yes” wins because of the lack of a participation threshold imposed by the electoral law. A victory in trompe-l’oeil for the supporters of the president who believe that the result is an undeniable success.
However, nearly 7 million voters boycotted the polls. An abstention that expresses the lack of support of the majority of Tunisians to a controversial constitutional project, especially in the absence of guarantees on the maintenance of the civilian character of the state.
HA/lb/abj/APA