The sole seat of the El Kabaria parliamentary constituency, in the Tunis Governorate, was decided by only seven votes in the runoff of the by-elections held on July 19, 2026.
The minutes of the preliminary results were adopted the following day by the Council of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), before its publication in the Official Journal of the Tunisian Republic.
Chaker Ben Abdessalem Bouthouri Leads with 1,225 Votes
According to the minutes, Chaker Ben Abdessalem Bouthouri (شاكر بن عبد السلام بوثوري) arrived in first place with 1,225 votes, i.e., 50.14% of the valid ballots cast.
His opponent, Mohamed Salah Ben Hasnaoui Salmi (محمد الصالح بن حسناوي السالمي), obtained 1,218 votes, representing 49.86% of the valid ballots cast.
Only seven votes separate the two candidates. The ISIE notes, however, that the proclaimed results remain preliminary.
More than 60,000 Registered Voters
The El Kabaria constituency had 60,111 registered voters. On election day, 2,520 voters went to the polls, for a turnout of about 4.19%.
Among the ballots cast, 2,443 were declared valid, while 54 were deemed invalid and 23 counted as blank ballots.
The 1,225 votes obtained by the leading candidate account for about 2.04% of the total registered voters in the constituency.
This calculation does not call into question the electoral rule, based on validly expressed votes, but it illustrates the extent of abstention, which stood at about 95.81%.
An Election Still Subject to Appeal Deadlines
The minutes indicate that Chaker Ben Abdessalem Bouthouri is declared elected to the single seat of the El Kabaria constituency on the basis of preliminary results.
However, the final proclamation can only occur after the expiration of appeal deadlines and the completion of any potential contentious procedures.
The finally elected candidate can then join the Assembly of the Representatives of the People.
ISIE Reviews Control Reports
The ISIE Council also reviewed control reports focusing in particular on the conduct of the electoral campaign, adherence to the electoral silence, media coverage, and publications circulated on social media.
The minutes specify that the proposed measures concerning the detected irregularities were approved.
The authority nevertheless found that these irregularities did not affect either the overall integrity of the electoral process or the results of the poll.
