Legislative election marred by some irregularities: Saied

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The first round of the Tunisian parliamentary elections had some irregularities, Tunisian President Kais Saied said Wednesday.

"The first round of the parliamentary elections was organizationally marred by abuses, which sowed the results that we all came to know," Saied underlined.

"Those seeking to undermine the state from within and seed civil instability will be held fully accountable for their actions," the Tunisian President said.

The low voter turnout recorded during the latest election in Tunisia, Saied added, was much better than the voter turnout during other elections. "A voter turnout of 9% or 12% is better than a voter turnout of 99%," he added, in a jab at the former Tunisian regime.

He also touched on his opponents during a speech attended by ministers, as well as security and military leaders, saying they "conspire day and night against the internal and external security of the state and insult the state and its symbols. This cannot continue nor remain unpunished under the law."

"Whoever aims to undermine the state from within and undermine civil stability will be held fully responsible," Saied added. "The honorable judges must perform their duties in light of the pivotal period that Tunisia is going through.

Since July of last year, Saied has taken a number of "exceptional measures", including dismissing the government, dissolving the Judicial Council, freezing the work of parliament, issuing legislations by presidential decrees, adopting a new constitution through a referendum on July 25, and bringing forward the date of the parliamentary elections to December 17.

Saied has pushed through a new constitution giving the presidency almost unrestrained powers and laying the ground for a 161-seat legislature.

In Tunisia's former constitution, the previous legislature had broad powers under the mixed presidential-parliamentary system. Candidates in this election, however, are running as individuals under a system that delegitimizes political parties, including the opposition.

The head of the ISIETN, Farouk Bouasker, said that by the close of polls, just 8.8% of the nine-million-strong electorate had cast votes in the parliamentary elections - the lowest participation in any poll since the uprising that the country witnessed in 2011.

The main opposition coalition, which had called for a boycott of the elections, said last Sunday that the low turnout should be a cue for Saied to step down.