Tunisian President Kais Saied has scheduled the presidential election for October 6. He is widely anticipated to run for a second term, although he has not formally announced his candidacy.
One potential candidate is currently imprisoned, and others are facing legal challenges.
Since his election in 2019, Saied has stated he will not transfer power to what he considers non-patriotic forces.
However, the opposition argues that credible and fair elections require the release of imprisoned politicians and freedom for the media to operate without government interference.
The Ennahda Islamist party and the Free Constitutional Party, among other opposition groups, accuse the government of attempting to sideline Saied’s main rivals from the election.
Earlier this year, Saied criticised what he described as “politicians’ scramble for power,” noting that those who had previously boycotted parliamentary elections were now vying for his position.
The leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a leading candidate in opinion polls, Abir Moussi, has been imprisoned since last year on charges of endangering public security.
The party of Moussi claims her imprisonment was intended to remove her from the election race and avoid a strong candidate, a charge the authorities deny.
Candidates Safi Saeed, Lotfi Maraihi, Nizar Chaari, and Abd Ellatif Mekki are facing prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Mondher Znaidi, a notable potential candidate living in France, is also under investigation for alleged financial corruption.
In 2021, Saied assumed nearly all powers, disbanded parliament, and started governing by decree, actions the opposition labeled as a coup.
Saied defended his actions as legal and essential to combat widespread corruption within the political establishment.
Since last year, prominent critics of the president have been arrested on charges of plotting against national security, part of a crackdown that targeted businesspeople, media personalities, and politicians.