8H - The departure

In La Marsa, a northern suburb of Tunis, Abdelfattah Mourou, Ennahdha's presidential candidate, was among the first voters to go to his assigned polling station. At around 8 am, with a smile on his face, he arrived to the Taïeb Mhiri school with his wife, children and grandchildren.

9H

As with around 30% of the country's polling stations, Mourou’s did not open on time and he cast his vote after an hour of waiting. 

Meanwhile, a few dozen meters away, the crowd buzzed and the cameras shuttered as Youssef Chahed arrived, accompanied by his wife. On his way to the school where he was registered to vote, wearing a suit without a tie, the then-head of government looked confident and exchanged a few words with the passers-by.

But Chahed did not waste time. After voting, he answered a few questions from journalists and left. So did Slim Azzabi, his campaign manager and general secretary of the party. The latter voted discreetly in another school in the city. The two men only reappeared later in the evening for Chahed to announce his defeat under the haggard gaze of his right-hand man.

10H

At Abir Moussi's headquarters, there was no rush. Her portrait sat on a chest of drawers in the main room. The sofas and office chairs were empty. The campaign team had gone out, while waiting for the arrival of the candidate of the Free Destourian Party (heir to some fringes of the RCD, Ben Ali's dissolved party). She arrived in the early afternoon.

Meanwhile, Abdelfattah Mourou, the rebellious child of the Islamist movement Ennahdha, returned home to enjoy a moment of calm with his family. In a richly furnished living room, he refused to make any statements, so as to not break the electoral silence. He only returned to his campaign headquarters after the polls closed, despite the disappointing results.

A few kilometres away, in the Berges du Lac primary school, Salwa Smaoui, the wife of Nabil Karoui, leader and presidential candidate for the Qalb Tounes, was ready to cast her vote. Smaoui was wearing a heart-shaped pendant, reflecting the name of her husband’s party, meaning the "Heart of Tunisia." 

Despite being one of the favorites in the presidential election, Karoui was not able to vote. He was held in the Mornaguia prison from August 23, 2019, accused of tax evasion and money laundering. The party and the candidate's wife ran his campaign without him.

11H

Less than two hours away, near his family home in Sousse, the Minister of Defence took advantage of his last day of electoral leave to go to the polls. This would be the last appearance of the independent candidate, who was supported by several political parties, including Nidaa Tounes and Afek Tounes. In Tunis, in a house in Berges du Lac, his campaign team would endure the anguish of a long day of waiting, to be rewarded only with the confirmation of defeat.

Back to Ouardia in the southern suburbs of Tunis, Mohamed and Samia Abbou were about to leave their family home to take part in the election. Despite the combative posture, Mohamed Abbou, the candidate of the “Democratic Current” party, would fail to deliver a substantial political blow by the end of his first presidential race.

Kaïs Saïed sat upright behind his desk. Hanging on the wall was a poster illustrating a green map of Tunisia, supporting two raised arms holding a scale, symbolizing justice. Under the map is the campaign slogan of this independent and atypical candidate: "The people want;" a slogan that was widely chanted in the demonstrations after the outbreak of the revolution. An hour earlier, Kaïs Saïed was on his way to his polling station in Ennasr, near his home, accompanied by his brother, his wife, and two agents of the presidential guard providing him with security. 

A small apartment on Ibn Khaldoun Street in the center of Tunis was used as Saïed’s campaign headquarters. His supporters and other "volunteers" had yet to arrive. The living room was modestly furnished with plastic tables and chairs and a television hanging on the wall. 

12H

Nabil Karoui was prosecuted in court and remanded in custody a week before the official start of the election campaign. The court then rejected his lawyers' requests for release. Karoui claims to have gone on a hunger strike to demand his right to vote. 

Mohamed and Samia Abbou exercised their right to vote in front of the cameras, in a school in their neighborhood. "Despite all the political fundings and partisan media dominating the last two weeks and even before, no one can predict the results of these elections. Whatever the result, we are proud of the campaign we ran," said Mohamed Abbou. However, a few hours later, he could not hide his disappointment and bitterness at the emerging results that credited him with only 4% of the vote.

"Some say Mohamed Abbou has revised his ideology; this is not at all true. He was just misunderstood. He is progressive and defends human rights in their universality. Only the media and his detractors present him as a conservative, which he is not," Samia Abbou reassured. But it was already too late. 

At the headquarters, organizers with the Democratic Current stayed busy. It was necessary to monitor the voting process, identify trends, and centralize the information reported by the hundreds of observers scattered across the country. 

14H -The absent

In his party's headquarters, Nabil Karoui was the major absentee. Everywhere, stickers and posters were reminding people of the candidate's ‘presence.’ 

From 14h, it became apparent that a considerable number of voters were abstaining from voting. At midday, the estimated 16% turnout at the national level did not materialize and the uncertainty about the outcome of the election grew. 

15H

At Mohamed Abbou's HQ, activists tried to bring calm to an increasingly tense atmosphere. In addition to the inflow of predictions, information, and stories from the field, they tried to lighten the mood while waiting for the outcome. "Anyway, tonight we're going to party! We're going to celebrate the efforts of loyal volunteers, our successes in terms of organization, communication and above all the political maturity we've managed to acquire," said Siwar, a student and party activist since 2014. 

Because she was allocated the number 3 on the ballot papers, Abir Moussi decided to vote at 3pm. However, when the time came, she arrived instead at her headquarters, informing her team members that she had been asked to withdraw in favor of Abdelkarim Zbidi. They discussed the new development and got slightly agitated. But, in the end, they had to head to the polling station. The candidate was already late.

At the same time, Facebook pages favorable to Abdelkarim Zbidi started sponsoring posts warning that Kaïs Saïed and Nabil Karoui were reportedly topping the polls. There were only a few hours left to mobilize. 

16H

Faces were sullen at the headquarters of Youssef Chahed the then-head of government and the candidate of Tahya Tounes. The reception was cold and hostile; journalists were not welcome and photos were not allowed. A few people paced around on their phones without much interaction between them. "Does anyone know the turnout?" one man asked. "20%," replied another, without looking up.  

Mohamed Abbou joined the organizers of his party at his campaign headquarters. Rumors were spreading about the possible victory of Kaïs Saïed and Nabil Karoui. On television, Nabil Baffoun, the ISIE president, warns, in a serious tone, about the risk of a massive abstention. "Go and vote to save the revolution and the democratic process," he urged. 

"Young people no longer have any confidence in the political class as a whole. This mistrust began just after the 2014 elections and will continue as long as those who govern persist in ignoring social and economic demands," said Motez, a young party activist.

17H - The doubt

Fatma, a businesswoman and a member of the logistics committee since 2017, was not as lenient. "I am really angry! Tunisians are either passive and not interested in politics or make purely emotional choices. What do they know about Kaïs Saïed, Abdelkarim Zbidi, or Nabil Karoui? Nothing! Saïed, for example, is just a phenomenon created by the media, which has produced the image of an intellectual who specializes in the Constitution ... I think we deserve the political class that governs us," she said. 

Abir Moussi's team were just as worried. The atmosphere was tense and the activists were very nervous. Moussi tried to grasp the estimates that were reaching her. 

18H

"We thought we were going to the second round!"

19H

Responding to the emerging trends and results communicated by party representatives at the polling stations, Abir Moussi called an emergency meeting. Her team was overcome with sadness and disbelief.

In the small apartment on Ibn Khaldun Street, a dozen organizers joined Kaïs Saïed and waited for the results. The announcement was scheduled for 8pm. The candidate's brother was confident but did not wish to speculate before any confirmation. "I hope there was an improvement in the turnout," he said. 

Sonia, a former student of Kaïs Saïed, and now a volunteer, kept receiving phone calls from young volunteers in the regions. "I love you, my dear," she said to each of them, before hanging up. 

"The people you see here are part of the campaign team. They are from different generations, both students and teachers. I don't have a particular role because there's no division between us. We don't have a campaign manager or a spokesperson... Everyone does what they can. We've been driving around the country in two cars, sleeping in youth centers, hostels, and sometimes even in people's homes," said Wissem, another volunteer.

At Nabil Karoui's headquarters, the atmosphere is noticeably different. The supporters of Qalb Tounes are already celebrating their candidate’s victory, even before the announcement of the results. In second position behind Kaïs Saïed, Karoui would move on to the second round of the presidential election. 

But at the campaign headquarters of Abdelfattah Mourou, the Ennahdha candidate, the signals were mixed. The preliminary estimates of the polling institutes and the feedback from the field contradicted each other. At this point, Abdelfattah Mourou could still have a chance to win over Nabil Karoui. The party of Rached Ghannouchi - who arrived with flowers and sweets - was not yet defeated. The information circulating on social networks were contradictory. 

Despite the disappointing forecasts, the Democratic Current organizers came out in large numbers to the campaign headquarters. "We are winners in any case! The victory belongs to our solidarity and dedication," said Samia Abbou. "Rumors are circulating about Chahed's escape," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. 

Abbou’s joke would certainly not have gone well at Youssef Chahed’s HQ, where the apparent calm exacerbated the gloom. The media were kept at a distance and only a few people could be seen, quietly discussing the expected results. 

At Berges du Lac, the campaign team of Abdelkarim Zbidi, former Minister of Defense, was still unaware of the outcome. Rumors were circulating about an apparent one hour extension of polling by ISIE; but not for long. "We only get what we deserve; we're in the second round against Youssef Chahed," a member of the team said regretfully, referring to the fratricidal war between the two camps. "We only have 20 dinars left in the cash box," joked another. Some of them watched television while others stared at their phone screens.  "Shh!" A few moments before the results were announced, there was silence. 

20H - The announcement

The announced results astonished the organizers at the campaign headquarters of Mohamed Abbou. According to estimates, the candidate of the Democratic Current had only 4% of the votes and was in ninth or tenth position. In the industrial zone of Charguia, with empty eyes, Youssef Chahed's supporters were barely reacting. On Ennahdha’s side, the disappointment and internal discussions were kept behind closed doors. 

"You must not lose hope! These results should not discourage us. [...] I want us to go back to work as soon as possible and to be frank with the voters, to tell them directly that they made a bad choice. Between a mysterious and seemingly conservative candidate who has no political background and a mafia man who financed his campaign with dirty and laundered money, the conscience of Tunisians is still far from being mature and open to real change," said Mohamed Abbou in front of his supporters. 

Resigning himself to the result of the elections, a member of the campaign team said: "These results are very disappointing for me. I expected twice the number of votes. Abbou was the only candidate clear and sincere about his promises within the prerogatives of the President of the Republic. His approach was far from populism. We worked hard to win the trust of the citizens. Alas! The will of the people was different."

At the campaign headquarters of Abdelkarim Zbidi, some still did not want to express their concern and worry gradually gave way to anger. "This result is wrong! ISIE is still collecting the results! Our political family must come together," said one supporter. 

"We have believed in Kaïs Saïed since 2011. He is the only one who has taken an interest in young people. He is the only one to carry and respect the values of the revolution. We ran a campaign without financial means. The candidate's family collected the money for the candidacy deposit. We spent almost nothing. We are not supported by any businessman or person in power," said a campaign team member of the candidate who topped the polls in the first round of the elections.  

Whether candidates and their campaign teams experienced shock or euphoria from the announced results, the time came for speeches. The organizers from Ibn Khaldoun Street and a few journalists joined Kaïs Saïed in his office to listen to his speech. In Aïn Zaghouan, Salwa Smaoui read a letter from her husband, Nabil Karoui. Samir Dilou, Ennahdha's campaign director, announced their decision to wait for the official results of the ISIE before making a statement. Youssef Chahed arrived late in the evening for a brief statement to the media. He called on his political "family" to come together for the parliamentary elections and to learn from the poll results. At Mohamed Abbou's headquarters, despite the disappointment, some were putting their experience into perspective. "The only positive side of these elections is the blow that was delivered to the former regime. The old RCD machine thought it had the upper hand in the elections. Now we know that not to be the case, at least for a while," said one supporter. Abdelkarim Zbidi and Abir Moussi did not reappear for the rest of the day. 

21H

22H

the end