Tunisian politics were once defined by a competition between secularists and Islamists. That schism has faded
THE SECOND round of Tunisia’s presidential election looks to be a choice between a jailed businessman facing charges of tax-dodging and a man few voters had heard of before this year. On Sunday Tunisians went to the polls to choose from 24 candidates for the top job. The election, their second since the revolution that toppled a long-lasting dictatorship in 2011, was brought forward after the death in July of the president, Beji Caid Essebsi.
Mr Karoui’s appeal is easy to understand. Many Tunisians are unhappy with the weak economy. The dinar has lost half its value since the revolution. GDP growth is sluggish, though it did rise to 2.6% last year, while the unemployment rate is stubbornly high at 15%. Terrorist attacks have hurt tourism. An IMF-backed reform programme that aims to cut the budget deficit has brought higher taxes and unpopular efforts to freeze public-sector wages.
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