President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali achieved a landslide victory in the 2009 presidential election after winning 89. 62 pct of the votes cast nationwide and by Tunisian expatriates abroad.
The results of the presidential and legislative elections were announced at a press conference held on Monday by Minister of the Interior and Local Development Rafik Belhaj Kacem who pointed to the follow-up by several observers from different countries of the progress of the different electoral stages and their movement in total freedom and ease, alongside media representatives, in the different regions of the Republic. These observers, he added, made it a point to praise the good conditions in which the elections had been held.
He highlighted the National Elections Observatory’s role in following up and monitoring the elections at all stages as well as the means made available to it to discharge its mission to the best.
In implementation of the provisions of the Electoral Code and on the basis of the permanent revision of electoral lists, the minister said, the total number of registered voters stood at 4,974,707 from both genders, in addition to 321,301 voters registered in electoral constituencies for Tunisian expatriates.
Then, the minister announced the general results of the elections:
Presidential election:
-Registered voters: 5,296,008
-Votes cast: 4,737,367
-Turnout rate: 89.45%
-Votes counted: 4,729,649
– President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, candidate of the Constitutional Democratic Rally garnered 4,238,711 votes, i.e. a rate of 89.62%.
Messrs:
-Mohamed Bouchiha, candidate of the People’s Unity Party (PUP) won 236,955 votes, i.e. a rate of 5.01%.
– Ahmed Inoubli, candidate of the Unionist Democratic Union (UDU), got 176,726 votes, i.e. a rate of 3.80%.
-Ahmed Brahim, candidate of Ettajdid Movement, obtained 74,257 votes, i.e. a rate of 1.57%.
The Minister of the Interior presented, afterwards, the results of the legislative elections:
– Registered voters: 4,974,707
– Votes cast : 4,447,388
– Turnout rate: 89.40%
– Spoilt ballot papers: 8,891 votes
– Votes counted: 4,438,497 votes
The Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) won 3,754,559 votes, i.e. a rate of 84.59% of the total votes counted in all constituencies. The RCD won the majority of votes in all constituencies, thus winning all the 161 seats at the constituencies level.
The other contending parties and independent lists in constituencies where they fielded candidates got 683,938 which are shared out as follows:
– Socialist Democrats Movement: 205,374, i.e. 4.63%,
– People’s Unity Party: 150,639, i.e. 3.39%,
– Unionist Democratic Union : 113,773, i.e. 2.56%,
– Liberal Social Party: 99,468, i.e. 2.24%,
– Green Party for Progress: 74,185, i.e. 1.67%,
– Ettajdid Movement: 22,206, i.e. 0.50%,
– Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties: 5,329, i.e. 0.12%,
– Progressist Democratic Party: 1,412, i.e. 0.03% and the
– Independent lists: 11,552, i.e. 0.26%.
The minister said that under the Electoral Code provisions pertaining to the distribution of seats at the national level, the distribution of the 53 seats stands as follows:
– Socialist Democrats Movement: 16 seats,
– People’s Unity Party: 12 seats,
– Unionist Democratic Union: 9 seats,
– Liberal Social Party: 8 seats,
– Green Party for Progress: 6 seats,
– Ettajdid Movement: 2 seats,
– Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties: 0 seat,
– Progressist Democratic Party: 0 seat and the
– Independent lists: 0 seat.
