ZOUHOUR MECHERGUİ

Tunisia- On July 25 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the government of Hichem Mechichi and suspended the activities of the Assembly, using the emergency powers provided for in article 80 of the Constitution of Tunisia. On September 22, he confirmed by decree the extension of the validity of the decisions and granted himself the right to rule by decree, de facto restoring legislative power. On July 25, 2022, the new Constitution was adopted by constitutional referendum. The new electoral law was published by decree on September 15.

On November 3, Tunisia's Independent High Authority for Elections announced that they accepted 1,058 candidacy applications for the legislative elections to be held on December 17. Many political parties announced that they have boycotted the elections to protest President Kais Saied.

Electoral campaign to end today

Under the new electoral law, potential candidates need to submit 400 signatures of registered voters from their constituencies to run for office. Candidates also cannot finance their campaigns through public funding and must rely instead on their own means or private funding. These requirements disempower women who are less likely to have the same powerful local networks to sponsor their candidacy as men and the same financial means as their male counterparts. The new electoral law also reduced the total number of parliamentary seats from 217 to 161. The electoral campaign, which was launched November 25, will end today.

‘The gender parity has been abandoned’

We spoke to Sana Ghenima, feminist, activist and the president of the Association Femmes & Leadership, about the country’s new electoral law and the upcoming elections. “The principle of equality has been abandoned,” she said that Tunisia has been going through a period where the achievements and rights of women are threatened.

‘There is a decline in women’s gains’

·         First of all, what has changed about women's rights since 1956? What are your thoughts about the new election law, which is stated to prevent women from participating in elections?

Since the Code of Personal Status was promulgated on August 13, 1956, we have experienced a decline in women’s gains for the first time. During the local elections in 2018, we achieved a very important representation of women in the municipal councils; the percentage of women in municipal councils  was 47%, and we, as women, aimed to reach 50% in the next local elections. However, the new Constitution of President Kais Saied is an attack on women’s struggle. This constitution is not the constitution of Tunisian people, it is the constitution of the President because Tunisian people were not included in the discussion on the new constitution. Kais Saided claimed that he would protect women's gains; however, the gender parity was undermined and manipulated in the electoral law no. 55. The percentage of women is low in the country's parliamentary elections to be held on Saturday, December 17. I think we will see a perfect male parliament where the people and women are not represented.

‘We have great fears’

·         What fears do you have about women’s presentation in the parliamentary elections?

We care about enacting fair and specific laws for women, youth and people with special needs. And we think the representation of women is important. For instance, if there is a peasant woman in the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, she will be the voice of peasant women. We all know that women guarantee food security in Tunisia because 80% of the agricultural workers in Tunisia are women. However, no one knows the difficulties faced by them. Women’s participation in politics and in the assembly is important to make the voices of women heard.

We all remember the sacrifices made by women during the Covid-19 pandemic in all sectors, including the health sector. We have great fears about the women’s gains in the new Assembly of the Representatives of the People. Women’s gains may be targeted and attacked to return women to the dark ages in their status. Tunisian society is a strong society and we will never accept the plans against women’s gains. 

·         Tunisia passed Law 58 in 2017 to combat violence against women. Despite this law, the number of women victims of violence increases. Do you think that this number increases because of the absence of an actual strategy of the government to combat gender-based violence?

The enactment of Law No. 58 in 2017 was a victory for women after decades of struggles. However, it does not protect women from violence. Every week, at least one woman is killed because women are not protected from domestic violence. Women are killed by their husbands, partners. The number of femicide cases also increases. At least 12 women were killed in 2022. Now, women are subjected to political violence. Women candidates are subjected to verbal and psychological violence, insults and smear campaigns. They are forced to withdraw from the elections.

Today, Tunisia suffers from economic, political and social crises. Women are the most affected by crises. The absence of an actual strategy of the government to combat violence against women doubles violence against women cases.

‘Women make the change’

·         What is your message to women candidates who chose to struggle despite facing violence while running for the parliamentary elections? 

First of all, we support women candidates in the elections and encourage them to win the elections despite all the pressures, problems and obstacles faced by them. We try to support them to continue their election campaign as much as we can. Despite obstacles, they should follow their dreams because women's representation in parliament is important. They decided to run for the elections because they are brave women. They should always remember that women make the change. They should win and make efforts to enact laws protecting women’s rights and overcome the difficult process suffered by our country.