GABES, Tunisia — The nauseating smell of phosphate hangs over the town of Gabes, the capital city of the Gabes governorate, a province of Tunisia, a constant reminder that for all the talk about democracy, people are still waiting for the kind of hands-on policies that will benefit people’s lives.

Like the pollution here that seeps into people’s lungs with every breath, economic hardship, unemployment and chronic underdevelopment are as much of a daily burden as they were under the previous regime.

As Tunisians went to the polls on Oct. 26, in the country’s first parliamentary elections since the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali era, many were deeply distrustful of the political class’ intentions to carry out meaningful policies.

“They’re making promises they have no intention of keeping,” Kamel Thabti, a Gabesien businessman, told Al-Monitor. While many of his friends voted for the Islamist party Ennahda — preliminary election results suggested that Ennahda took three out of the seven seats here — he says he is not convinced by any of the parties’ agendas, pointing out that the Tunisian state cannot afford most of the promises being made. He voted, but during Al-Monitor’s interview two days ago, he said that he would make up his mind at the final hour.