Disillusioned with democracy, Tunisians to elect parliament

BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — To the outside world, Saturday’s elections in Tunisia raise several red flags: Many opposition parties are boycotting them, foreign media are banned from talking to candidates and critics say it will be harder for women to compete. But many Tunisians believe their country’s decade-old democratic revolution has failed, and are exasperated with its political elites. They welcome their increasingly autocratic president’s political reforms and see the vote as a chance to solve their financial crisis. A new law reduced the number of lawmakers from 217 to 161, to be elected directly instead of via a party list. The president’s critics accuse him of endangering the democratic process. But many others believe that scrapping the party lists will improve accountability.