TUNIS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kais Saied, a 61-year-old law professor, won the first Tunisian presidential election since the death of former President Beji Caid Essebsi on July 25.
As an independent presidential candidate, he garnered 72.71 percent of the votes in the second round of the early presidential election held on Oct. 13, defeating Nabil Karoui, a media mogul and leader of the Heart of Tunisia party, the second biggest party in parliament.
CONSTITUTIONAL EXPERT
On Feb. 22, 1958, Saied was born in the town of Beni Khiar of Nabeul Province. He is married and has three children.
With a degree in International Law from the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Tunis and an International Academic Diploma in Constitutional Law, Saied is a professor at the Faculty of Legal, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis.
He was the secretary general of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law between 1990 and 1995, and vice-president of the association in 1995.
During the 1990s, Saied was also director of the General Law Department at the University of Sousse, a member of the Arab League Secretariat's expert group and an expert at the Arab Institute for Human Rights.
As a constitutional professor, he was a member of the expert committee to review the draft of the new constitution of 2014.
During the drafting of the constitution, he appeared on TV as a public intellectual with formal speaking manner. Meanwhile, he has kept himself aloof from political life.
LOW-PROFILE WINNER WITH HIGH SUPPORT
Although he is the author of numerous books and articles on constitutional law, Saied was barely known before the first round of presidential election held on Sept. 15.
Despite no party behind and a low-profile campaign relying only on door-to-door electioneering, Saied came out ahead in the first round of presidential election by winning 18.4 percent of the votes. One exit poll suggested that he won more than a third of the youth vote.
The law professor didn't organize public meetings during his campaign, but visited some 100 cities to make personal contacts with voters.
As for the alleged support of certain foreign parties, Saied said he is not in contact with any foreign party, noting he does not even have a passport to leave the country.
REFORMS AND CONVENTIONS
Saied's most remarkable proposal is to make radical change of institutions, to further decentralize power and to reform the constitution.
"Legal mechanisms are able to meet the demands of the Tunisian people," he said.
The law professor supported death penalty for crimes after a fair trial and has proposed a bill on assistance to the families of martyrs and the wounded.
He also attached significance to conventions. "Certain conventions are like flowers and roses. They are ephemeral and they must be watered. In the same way, these conventions must be revised when necessary," Saied said.
