Skip to main content

Tunisian youth skip presidential vote

Tunisia’s presidential elections are seeing a low youth voter turnout, as many young Tunisians are frustrated that the candidates are not addressing their core issues: employment and economic opportunity.
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Tunisia's presidential election in Sousse November 23, 2014. Tunisians went to the polls on Sunday to vote for their first directly elected president since the 2011 revolution that ended the regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. REUTERS/Anis Mili (TUNISIA - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR4F7S8

TUNIS, Tunisia — Late Sunday afternoon, Nov. 23, Serine Limam, 21, purposefully strolled into a polling station in La Goulette, a suburb of Tunisia’s capital. She was resolute in her reasons for voting in Tunisia’s first free presidential elections. “It’s important for youth to vote because it is our future,” she told Al-Monitor.

Many of her friends did not feel the same way. “They think that, no matter what, Tunisia is not going to move forward and that their vote won’t change anything,” Limam said.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.