Tunisia’s Opposition Demands Freedom Of Political Opponents Ahead Of Presidential Race

Tunisia’s major opposition coalition declared on Tuesday its boycott of the upcoming presidential election unless President Kais Saied’s political opponents are released and judicial independence is reinstated.

Since assuming power in 2021 by suspending parliament and revising the constitution, Saied has detained or charged over 20 political rivals. Despite low voter turnout, citizens endorsed his constitutional amendments in a 2021 referendum.

Saied’s constitutional amendments grant him authority to appoint electoral body members and magistrates.

Saied is anticipated to vie in the forthcoming presidential race, slated for September or October, with uncertainty regarding whether anyone will challenge him.

The National Salvation Front, comprising major opposition factions like the once-prominent Ennahdha Islamist movement, voiced concerns that the election won’t be fair. It stipulated conditions for presenting a candidate, including the release of imprisoned politicians, reopening Ennahdha’s headquarters, ensuring electoral commission neutrality, and reestablishing judicial independence, according to National Salvation Front president Ahmed Nejib Chebbi.

Ennahdha’s headquarters were shut down a year ago, while its leader Rached Ghannouchi, a former parliament speaker, received a 15-month prison term on terrorism glorification charges, contested by his supporters as politically motivated.

Tunisia, once hailed for its democratic strides, now faces economic turmoil that has deepened in recent years.

Melissa Enoch

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