Powerful Tunisian trade union calls for postponement of vote

Few Tunisians responded to calls from the country's president to vote in the first round of parliamentary elections held on December 17 [File: Fethi Belaid/AFP]

Tunisia’s most powerful trade union, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), has warned the country’s president that the second round of controversial parliamentary elections should be postponed to avoid chaos.

The UGTT’s statement on Thursday, which said that the new parliament will have no legitimacy, followed a record-low turnout in Saturday’s elections, when only 11.2 percent of eligible voters participated.