Tunisia's Independent High Authority for Elections, whose members were appointed by President Kais Saied in May, said 803,638 of the 9,136,502 registered voters had cast their ballots by 6pm on Saturday, after the closure of ballot stations in a majority of constituencies.
This makes the official turnout rate, as announced by the electoral commission, 8.8 per cent across Tunisia.
“The electoral law does not mention a necessary threshold for the validation of these results so we will work with what we have,” Farouk Bouasker, president of ISIE, said in the last presser of the day at 7pm on Saturday.
Mr Bouasker claimed the low turnout rate was due to the absence of “corrupt political money” unlike previous elections, dubbing today’s vote as “pure and legitimate”.
Meanwhile, constituencies where there is only one candidate will have the winners announced automatically, said Tunisia’s High Electoral Authority member Mohamed Tlili Mnasser. This means that even the 400 votes rule that was required to make elections’ candidacies accepted will not be applied this time.
A second round of parliamentary elections will be required in places where the vote count shows a tie between two candidates or more.
Civil organisations observing the elections, such as Mourakiboun and Shahed Observatory, noted several electoral violations taking place such as the attempt of certain individuals to pay for people to vote or the interruption of the country's electoral silence rule.
Under Tunisia’s new electoral law, which was solely written by Tunisian president Kais Saied and later passed through a vaguely criticised referendum, set up a new system for elections where electors vote for individual candidates instead of party lists.
The new electoral system seems to be confusing for voters who showed up today. “I came here expecting to find different candidates as we are used to, but I only found one candidate that I do not know, so I cast a blank ballot instead,” one elderly man, who refused to identify himself, told The National after voting at the Rue d’Inde Elementary School ballot station.
Several local and international observers were present to monitor Tunisia’s elections of its future parliament, including African delegation Nouvelle Perspective and an official state delegation from Russia.
“Everything seems to be going well, we are used to observing elections in Tunisia here, the only difference we can see is that there aren’t many people participating” Louis Du Caca, member of Nouvelle Perspective African delegation, told The National at Rue de Marseille School ballot station.
Financial consultant Mohamed Sallemi said that he was obliged to cast a blank ballot due to the absence of competition in the Beb Bhar constituency, where he lives. He blamed the situation on "political inexperience”, but he remains hopeful and supportive of the president’s political project.
“I am one of the people who supported president Kais Saied decision on July 25 [2021], I know that there are certain challenges that we are facing at the moment, but I still believe that some of the people running for these elections can pump new blood into the legislative system and bring about the change we need,” Mr Sallemi told The National after casting his ballot.
Vote counts are expected to be finalised between December 18 and 20. However, the final results will be announced on January 19 after the conclusion of any appeal processes taken to Tunisia’s Administrative Court.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
The five pillars of Islam
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
