Nabil Karoui, his opponent in last Sunday’s run-off election has conceded defeat.

Official results of Tunisia’s Presidential election reflect a turnout of 55% with retired lawyer Kaïs Saïed getting 72,71 % of the vote and Nabil Karoui 27,29 %.

The television mogul’s acceptance of the result means Tunisia can move on to building the the political consensus it needs to deal with the countrys’ economic stagnation and rising unemployment.

Saïed has the support of the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party that won most votes in the parliamentary election earlier this month but falls far short of a majority in the legislature.

The post Official results confirm Kaïs Saïd as Tunisia’s new President appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Kaïs Saïed’s first response to his election win has been to thank your Tunisians for turning a new page in the country’s history.

Saïed says that in the only democracy to have emerged from the 2011 Arab Spring confidence must be renewed between the people and their rulers.

Nabl Karoui says he’ll wait until the  electoral commission officially calls the results today  before deciding whether to contest the outcome.

The millionaire businessman and philanthropist spent all but the last four days of the campaign in jail awaiting trial on tax evasion  and money laundering charges.

The post Exit polls give Kaïes Saïed a comfortable win in Tunisia’s Presidential election appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The post Tunisians are voting for a new president appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The contest is between two outsiders who beat off the heavyweight establishment figures among the two dozen other contestant.

Conservative lawyer Kaïs Saïed and television mogul Nabil Karoui are the choice of an electorate disillusioned with the performance of the traditional leaders.

Neither managed anything near an outright win, however. Saïed won  18.4% of the vote with Karoui palming 15.6%

In parliamentary elections last week, voters gave the nod to the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party and Karoui’s Qalb Tounes – the Heart of Tunisia.

On a turnout of only 42% of the seven million registered voters, Ennahda won 52 of the 217 parliamentary seats well short of a majority.

It has pledged not to enter into an alliance with  Qalb Tounes so there will be some interesting coalition buildingsin the weeks ahead.

 Karoui was released on bail last week, having been jailed since August 27 to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering.

It was feared his incarceration would jeopardize the crediblity of  the elections which , according to local and international observers, underpinned the Tunisian democracy.

It is not clear whether 54-year-old Karoui will , contest the outcome of the election in which he had barely two days to campaign.

The populist and charismatic self-made businessman has been dubbed Karoui Macaroni because of the money and food he has doled out to Tunisians – 15% of whom live below the poverty line.

Karoui recognized his strength lies attracting the the poor and the one fifth of Tunisians who are feeling the pinch unemployment, rising prices and a stagnating economy.

His campaign suffered a blow when it merged he had bought the services of a Canadian lobbyist  company to secure meeting with US President Donald Trump and others.

It is illegal under Tunisian  law to get help or finance from abroad.

To compound matters the chief executive of the lobbyist group is a former Israel intelligence operative

The head of the observer team from the Johannesburg-based Electoral Commission for a Sustainable Democracy in Africa, former Mauritian president Cassam Uteem,  commended the orderliness of the elections but called, in the name of fairness,  for Karoui to be allowed to participate fully.

Saïed also expressed disquiet about his opponent being jailed. He opted against taking  advantage of this and declined to campaign for the run-off poll.

The 62 year-old, who speaks classical Arabic, has the support of Ennahda.

The backing of that party’s machine and funding from countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia will stand him on good stead.

In supporting a man who rejects the status quo, Tunsians have a man who favor the return of the death penalty.

He says his wife will not become first lady if he is elected and that he will continue to live in his moderate home rather than move into the presidential palace. 

The post Tunisians go to the polls unhappily appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Leader of EISA team, former Mauritian President Cassam Uteem says jailed television mogul Nabil Kasroui should be allowed to participate fully in the Presidential run-off election next Sunday.

Cassam Uteem congratulates the government, the electoral commission, the parties and people of Tunisia for hold a parliamentary election that reflects the will of the nation.

The former Mauritian President expresses concern about the low turnout that kept 58% of the seven million registered voters away from the poll.

And he makes a call ahead of Sunday’s Presidential run-off.

“We have asked the authorities in the name of equal opportunity to allow Nabil Karoui to participate fully in the Presidential run-off poll,” he said

Karoui is awaiting trial on tax evasion and money laundering charges.

The post Observer calls for fairness in Tunisia’s presidential run-off appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Nabil Karoui, in jail awaiting trial on tax evasion and money laundering charges, is seeking meetings among others with President Donald Trump.

The revelations about Nabil Karoui’s activities come as a bombshell in the supercharged political climate with back-to-back legislative and presidential elections.

Karouis rivals say his $1 million dollar contract with Canadian obeying firm breaks local law forbidding any foreign funding or support for Tunisians running for office.

His Heart of Tunisia Party contests parliament elections on Sunday.

He, himself, goes head to head with lawyer Kaïs Saïed in a presidential run-off a week later.

He has repeatedly failed to get  bail to contest that poll.

The post Tunisian presidential candidate seeks a meeting with Donald Trump appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

It hoping the by controlling the legislature it will overcome the disappointment of having its leader beaten in the presidential race.

The Ennahda Party expects it vast organization to prevail in Sunday’s poll.

Its major rival, the Nabil Tounes alliance of the late President Beji Caid Essebsi, who died in office last July, has virtually disintegrated.

Independents are expected to make a strong showing on Sunday, as they did in the first round of the Presidential election last month.

The second round of that contest, between conservative lawyer Kaïs Saïed and television mogul Nabil Karoui, currently jailed and awaiting trial on tax evasion and money laundering charges, will be on October 13. 

The post Ennahda expects a strong showing in Tunisia’s parliamentary election appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The country’s appeal court  yesterday ruled he cannot get bail while facing charges of tax evasion and money  laundering.

At this stage a presidential hopeful should be looking to boost his parliamentary support in Sunday’s legislative elections.

Nabil Karoui, who has been in jail since August 27, can only  hope to retain the popular support he attracted in the first round of the presidential race in mid-September.

He ran second to lawyer Kais Saied in that field of 27 candidates.

Karoui’s supporters say the Tunisian government is pressing judicial authorities to keep him detained.

Senior members of his Qalf Tounes Party say what is happening is a charade.

The post Tunisian court keeps presidential run-off competitor in jail appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Both were seen as outsiders going into  last Sunday’s election were the anti-system result reflects voters rejection of the political status quo.

The results announced yesterday shocked political establishment including Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and former interim President Moncef Marzouki.

Moderate Islamist Abdelfattah Mourou was in third place.

Kaïs Saïed won 18,4 percent of the vote ahead of jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui who got 15,6 percent.

The electoral authority has not named a date for next month’s run-off which will follow legislative elections.

Saïed’s fierce independence and strong anti-corruption platform struck a note with voters looking to replace President Bejii Caid Essebsi who died in July.  

The post Tunisia now officially heading for a run-off Presidential election appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

With just under half of yesterday’s votes properly confirmed, outsiders Kaïs Saïed and Nabil Karoui have taken slim lead – but nowhere near enough for an outright victory.

There’s still a possibility that the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring eight years ago will produce a winner who is still in jail.

Television mogul Nabil Karoui, awaiting charges on tax evasion and money laundering was expected to do well in yesterday’s election.

But it is socially conservative law professor Kaïs Saïed who has surprised by becoming the front runner.

The strong anti-corruption candidate, who drives and old car, says if elected he will continue to live in his humble home in the capital Tunis rather than  move into the Presidential palace.

The post Tunisia’s political elite reels as outsiders take the lead in presidential race appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.