How a publicity-shy professor became president

A former law professor seems an unlikely choice to win the hearts of Tunisia’s young voters.

But 61-year-old Kais Saied, nicknamed “the robot” for his stern manner, has officially been elected the North African country’s new president – with the vast majority of voters aged between 18 and 25 reportedly backing him.

“We’re sick of the system, we want something different,” industrial engineering student Youssef Bejaoui told the BBC.

It is not unusual for political novices to win over electorates – take the comedian Volodymyr Zelensky with his landslide victory in Ukraine earlier this year.

But for Mr Zelensky – and for Donald Trump in the US – it was their profiles on TV shows that helped boost their popularity.

By contrast, Mr Saied shunned the limelight – running a low-profile media campaign with almost no advertising, on a message of integrity and anti-corruption that appealed to young people.

– BBC