Will Tunis' first female mayor advocate for women’s rights?
Tunis' city council has elected its first female mayor from the Ennahda movement, yet some critics are wary of whether the new mayor will be a strong advocate for women.
Souad Abdel Rahim of the Ennahda movement was elected mayor of Tunis on July 3, the first female to hold the title since the Tunis municipality was established in 1885.
During the first round of city council elections, Abdel Rahim was granted 26 out of 60 votes, with male candidates from Nidaa Tunis, the Popular Front and the Democratic Current also competing. They obtained 22, four and eight votes respectively.
The second round of voting was limited to Abdel Rahim and Kamal Idir of Nidaa Tunis. Abdel Rahim won, with 26 votes to Idir's 22, following the withdrawal of the the Popular Front’s and the Democratic Current’s 12 municipal members from the voting session due to their reservations about the two candidates.
On May 6, Tunis elected its 60-member municipal council. Ennahda came first, with 21 seats; 17 for Nidaa Tunis; eight for the Democratic Current; six for the Popular Front; and four for the independent list of Madinati (My City).
