<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Tunisia's main opposition coalition has said President Kais Saied must resign after fewer than 9% of eligible voters took part in parliamentary elections.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The National Salvation Front head, Nejib Chebbi, said Saturday's poll was a "fiasco", calling for mass protests to demand snap presidential elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The vote was boycotted by most opposition parties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They accuse Mr Saied of reversing the democratic progress made since the 2011 uprising - a charge he denies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After sacking the prime minister and suspending parliament in July 2021, a year later Mr Saied pushed through a constitution enshrining his one-man rule after a vote that was also boycotted by the main opposition parties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new constitution replaced one drafted soon after the Arab Spring in 2011, which saw Tunisia overthrow late dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. It gave the head of state full executive control and supreme command of the army.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Saied, 64, says such powers were needed to break a cycle of political paralysis and economic decay.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His supporters agree with him, saying the impoverished North African nation needs a strong leader to tackle corruption and other major issues that hinder the country's development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tunisia's electoral officials said late on Saturday that 8.8% of the roughly nine-million-strong electorate had voted in the parliamentary elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking shortly afterwards, Mr Chebbi said: "What happened today is an earthquake, From this moment, we consider Saied an illegitimate president and demand he resign after this fiasco,"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The National Salvation Front, a coalition of several political parties, also called for mass rallies and sit-ins.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President Saied has so far made no public comments on the issue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tunisia's uprising 11 years ago is often held up as the sole success of the Arab Spring revolts across the region - but it has not led to stability, either economically or politically. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>