Tunis/Tunisia — President of the Republic Kais Saied and his spouse Ichraf Saied on Monday morning, casted their ballot on the new Constitution at the Ennasr 1 primary school polling station.

"We will build a new Republic unlike the existing one," Saied stated on the occasion to the national TV, pointing out that the goal is to build a State and a society based on the rule of law as stipulated in the preamble of the Constitution.

"Through the referendum, the citizen will feel involved in law-making and will see to its enforcement," he said.

The Head of State explained that the new Constitution stipulates the possibility to revoke a deputy, indicating that this will be specified by the new electoral law, or to elect the parliamentary council and the local and territorial council, which will bring together the marginalised groups excluded from decision-making.

"The State's mission is not to ensure positive discrimination but to ensure the inclusion of marginalised groups through the local and territorial council and allow them to participate in decision-making in their regions," he stated, pointing out that a law will determine the relationship between the local and territorial council and the parliamentary council.

Regarding the political system and the balance of power, Saied underlined that the new Constitution provides for a balance of power and political plurality, not formal partisan plurality.

"We will do our utmost to meet the demands of Tunisians and guarantee them all their rights," he affirmed, recalling the recent publication of the decrees on combating illegal speculation and criminal reconciliation.

Ballot casting kicked off on Monday at 6 a.m. in most of the 4,834 polling centres and 11,800 polling stations nationwide.

Tunisians are voting "Yes" or "No" on the new draft Constitution published in the Official Gazette of the Tunisian Republic on June 30, 2022 and amended on July 8.