Tunis Elected First Female Mayor Souad Abderrahim
Tunis Elected First Female Mayor Souad Abderrahim: Islamist-backed candidate Souad Abderrahim defeated a city official who served under ousted despot Zine el Abidine Ben Ali to become the first woman mayor of the Tunisian capital.
“I dedicate this victory to all Tunisian women,” Abderrahim said. “My first task will be to improve the face of Tunis.” Deteriorating waste disposal services have blighted the capital since Ben Ali’s 2011 overthrow in the first of that year’s Arab Spring uprisings.
The 53-year-old manager of a pharmaceutical firm, known for her pant suits and blow-drys, has risen to the fore as one of the new faces of veteran Islamist party Ennahdha as it seeks to modernise its image.
Although she is a member of the party’s politburo, she stood as an independent in the May 6 municipal election, in which she headed the Ennahdha list. With 21 seats out of 60, the list emerged as the largest on the city council but well short of a majority.
Abderrahim won election as mayor in a second round of voting by councillors which was boycotted by left-wing and centrist parties who refused to support the candidates of either of the main parties. She defeated Kamel Idir, candidate of the Nidaa Tounes party of President Beji Caid Essebsi, by 26 votes to 22.
For the first time in the history of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, a woman has been elected mayor.
Souad Abderrahim – had won the mayoral election with 33.8 percent of votes in early May. She however still needed to secure the support of municipal councilors in order to take office.
In the councillors’ decisive vote conducted this week, Abderrahim garnered 26 votes against her competitor Kamel Idir’s 22.
Mayor Souad overcame mammoth obstacles to clinch the seat, including her candidacy’s rejection by some top religious and political figures.
She has dedicated her win to all Tunisian women across the North African country, and hopes it motivates them to pursue their dreams however big.
Abderrahim said her first priority would be to clean up Tunis, a city blighted by problems with waste disposal.
The polls had been billed as a test for Tunisia’s democracy, and the outcome may now be seen as a step in the right direction.
The May municipal elections were the first since the 2011 uprising which sparked the Arab Spring.
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