TUNIS, Oct 15 (AFP): Behind the landslide victory of conservative political outsider Kais Saied in a runoff presidential vote were millions of young voters, who describe him as a leader worthy of their trust as Tunisia's democracy takes root.
According to a poll by the Sigma polling institute, around 90 percent of voters aged 18 to 25 voted for political newcomer Saied, massively shunning his rival, business tycoon Nabil Karoui.
"In the first round, I didn't think he would win. But now that he has won I can truly believe in the transparency of our elections," 20-year-old law student Mayssa Jlassi told AFP.
"We had to everything possible to mobilise all young people like me to vote en masse" for Saied, she added.
Jlassi joined a volunteer group that went door-to-door, with very modest means, to canvass for votes for her candidate.
Saied, a 61-year-old retired law professor, scooped 72.71 percent of votes, official results showed.
According to Sigma's data, Tunisians were sharply divided by age group.
The older the voter, the more likely his or her ballot went to Karoui, who swept up 50.8 percent of the over-60s' votes.
"The main reason for (Saied's) victory was the extraordinary mobilisation of young people aged 18 to 25," said Olfa Lamloum, director of the Tunis branch of the NGO International Alert, which works closely with young people.
According to Sigma, 37 percent of young voters cast their ballot for Saied in the September 15 first round - twice the national average - while the disparity was magnified further in Sunday's runoff.
Despite having spearheaded the Arab Spring revolt that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, young people had largely shunned the ballot box in previous elections in Tunisia's new democracy.
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