Tunisia Presidential Election: Candidate Beji Caid Essebsi Wins

(Baonghean.vn) - On Monday, December 22, according to the announcement of the Tunisian Electoral Authority (ISIE) on the final results of the second round of elections, candidate Beji Caid Essebsi was elected President of this country.

Chafik Sarsar - ISIE president announced that Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi, 88 years old, received 55.68% of the votes, equivalent to 1.7 million votes. Meanwhile, Moncef Marzouki, Mr. Essebsi's opponent, only received 44.32% of the votes, equivalent to 1.3 million votes. The rate of Tunisian people participating in this election is 60.1%. It is known that in the first round of the election on November 23, Mr. Marzouki only received 33.4% of the votes, while Mr. Essebsi received 39.4% of the votes, with a turnout rate of 65%.

This is the first democratic election since Tunisia gained independence in 1954. After becoming President, it is predicted that Mr. Essebsi will have difficulty "steering" the country due to the limitations on the President's power stipulated in the new Tunisian Constitution.

Beji Caid Essebsi after casting his vote in the second round of Tunisia's presidential election on December 21 in Tunis. Photo: AFP/Fethi Belaid

On Sunday, after the last polling station closed, Moncef Marzouki and Beji Caid Essebsi, both candidates for the Tunisian presidency, declared victory. In front of 2,000 people, Mr. Essebsi thanked his supporters and praised his opponent, although the two candidates had always been “enemies of life and death.” After winning, Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi promised to be “a president for all Tunisians.”

While waiting for the results, Moncef Marzouki had refused to acknowledge Essebsi’s victory. However, after learning the results, Marzouki’s campaign manager said that Marzouki had called his opponent to congratulate him. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius welcomed Essebsi’s victory, saying, “By passing this historic milestone, Tunisia is asserting its historic role.”

Four years after the overthrow of former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has been in a state of constant unrest. With the victory of Mr. Essebsi - the initiator of the democratic movement, Tunisians are placing high hopes on Mr. Essebsi's promise to "restore order".

Chu Thanh– According to LeMonde December 22