Tensions mark run-up to Tunisia presidential vote --[Reported by Umva mag]

As nearly 10 million Tunisians prepare to vote in Tunisia’s 6th October presidential election, tensions are rising over the arrest of opposition figures and the exclusion of certain candidates from a vote in which President Kaïs Saïed is seeking a second term.

Polling stations in Tunisia will open this Sunday for the first round of a presidential election that has been marked by a lacklustre campaign and overshadowed by political and legal disputes.

The Tunisian electorate is currently made up of 9,753,217 registered voters, including 6.6 percent living abroad, who began voting this Friday.

Tunisians will have to choose between three candidates whose candidacies have been validated: Ayachi Zammel, businessman and founder of the Azimoun movement, who is currently in prison; Zouhair Maghzaoui, secretary general of the Popular Movement; and the incumbent president, Kaïs Saïed, who is seeking a second five-year term.

This is the third presidential election in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution that toppled the late Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. There were 27 candidates in the first round of the 2014 election and 26 in the 2019 election.

The current campaign, which began on 14 September, has been dominated by political and legal controversies over the electoral framework, in particular the legislative amendments adopted by the Assembly of People’s Representatives. In the absence of a constitutional court, these amendments transferred the power to resolve electoral disputes from the administrative court to the ordinary courts.

Zouhair Maghzaoui was the only candidate to run an active campaign on the ground, organising 98 events such as promotional tours and leafleting, according to the first 14 days report published by the Independent High Authority for Monitoring Elections.

For their part, Kais Saied’s supporters organised 221 activities, including meetings and rallies across the country.

In contrast, Ayachi Zammel’s campaign was almost non-existent due to his arrest, and was limited to a single press conference.

The winner of the election will be granted sweeping powers under the 2022 constitution, which marks a break from the semi-parliamentary system established by the 2014 constitution.

RT/te/sf/lb/as/APA

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