| Parliament name |
- |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Majlis Al-Nuwab / Chamber of Deputies |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Majlis al-Mustasharin / Chamber of Councillors
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
25 October 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Chamber of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The October 2009 elections were held for an enlarged 214-member Chamber of Deputies (up from 189). They were held in parallel with presidential elections (see note). Constitutional amendments in July 2008 lowered the minimum voting age from 20 to 18 years.
In the previous elections held in October 2004, President Ben Ali's Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) won 152 of 189 seats at stake. The Democratic Socialist Movement (MDS), which backed Mr. Ben Ali in the presidential elections, took 14 seats. The Popular Unity Party (PUP) followed with 11 seats. The Unionist Democratic Union (UDU), the Ettajdid (Renewal) Movement and the Social Liberal Party (PSL) took seven, three and two seats respectively. President Ben Ali was re-elected with over 94 per cent of the votes.
In the 2009 elections, 1,080 candidates from nine parties and 15 independent lists were vying for seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Only the RCD and the MDS fielded candidates in all constituencies.
President Ben Ali, who has been in power since 1987, was seeking his fifth consecutive term in office. He was challenged by Mr. Mohamed Bouchiha (PUP), Mr. Ahmed Inoubli (UDU) and Mr. Ahmed Brahim (Ettajdid Movement). The 79-year old MDS leader, Ismaïl Boulahia, who had surpassed the constitutional age limit for presidential candidates (75 years), backed President Ben Ali. Although he was eligible to run for president, PSL leader Mondher Thabet also backed the incumbent President.
President Ben Ali's RCD presented a 24-point platform in which it pledged to enhance democracy and improve working conditions for all Tunisians. MDS leader Boulahia said that President Ben Ali was the best placed to advance a pluralistic democratic process.
The PUP promised to create a democratic system with greater balance between the legislative and executive branches and an independent judiciary.
The Ettajdid Movement pledged to implement tax reform to help workers and the middle class. The Ministry of the Interior seized an issue of the Movement's newspaper containing its election manifesto for not respecting the electoral law
A total of 89.40 per cent of the 4.9 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
A delegation from the African Union Commission declared that the electoral campaign had taken place in "calm and serenity".
The RCD secured 84.59 per cent of the total votes, winning all 161 constituency seats. The MDS remained the second largest party, winning 16 seats under the proportional representation system. The PUP came in third with 12 seats. The UDU, the PSL, the Green Party for Progress (PVP) and the Ettajdid Movement took the remaining seats. 59 women were elected.
In the presidential election, President Ben Ali won a fifth term, securing 89.62 per cent of the votes.
On 10 November, the newly elected Chamber of Deputies held its first session and re-elected Mr. Fouad Mebazaâ (RCD) as its new Speaker.
Note:
Under the current Constitution and the electoral law, Presidential candidates need to be nominated by 30 members of the Chamber of Deputies or 30 presidents of municipal councils. Based on the constitutional amendments of July 2008, the incumbent elected leaders of all recognized political parties were allowed to run for the presidency in 2009 without any nomination, provided that they have served in the post of party leader for at least two consecutive years. These amendments applied only to the 2009 presidential elections. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 25 October 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
4'974'707
4'447'388 (89.4%)
8'891
4'438'497 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) |
|
3'754'559 |
|
|
84.59 |
|
|
| Democratic Socialist Movement (MDS) |
|
205'374 |
|
|
4.63 |
|
|
| Popular Unity Party (PUP) |
|
150'639 |
|
|
3.39 |
|
|
| Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) |
|
113'773 |
|
|
2.56 |
|
|
| Social Liberal Party (PSL) |
|
99'468 |
|
|
2.24 |
|
|
| Green Party for Progress (PVP) |
|
74'185 |
|
|
1.67 |
|
|
| Ettajdid Movement |
|
22'206 |
|
|
0.50 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) |
161
|
|
|
|
|
| Democratic Socialist Movement (MDS) |
16
|
|
|
|
|
| Popular Unity Party (PUP) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
| Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) |
9
|
|
|
|
|
| Social Liberal Party (PSL) |
8
|
|
|
|
|
| Green Party for Progress (PVP) |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| Ettajdid Movement |
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
155
59
27.57%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
|
6
23
59
96
25
5
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Education profession |
66 |
| Civil service and local authority administration |
46 |
| Physician, dentist |
26 |
| Others |
26 |
| Architect, surveyor, engineer |
18 |
| Finance, management or business |
16 |
| Legal profession |
12 |
| Journalism, broadcasting, media |
4 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- Chamber of Deputies (21.11.2009, 03.03.2010)
- http://www.elections2009.tn/en |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
