Ahead to the presidential election, Tunisia’s opposition demands the freedom of political opponents

In the event that political opponents are not freed, the main opposition alliance in Tunisia has threatened to abstain from the presidential election.

The main opposition alliance in Tunisia announced on Tuesday that it would abstain from the forthcoming presidential election until political rivals of President Kais Saied are freed and judicial independence is restored.

After taking office in 2021 and suspending the legislature in addition to amending the constitution, Saied has arrested or prosecuted more than twenty political opponents. In a 2021 referendum, voters approved his constitutional reforms in spite of a low participation.

Saied’s constitutional revisions give him the power to designate magistrates and members of electoral bodies.

Saied is expected to run in the upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled for September or October. It is unclear if he will face competition.

The National Salvation Front, which is made up of significant opposition groups like the formerly well-known Ennahdha Islamist movement, expressed worries that the election will not be impartial. According to National Salvation Front president Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, it set requirements for fielding a candidate, such as freeing politicians who were imprisoned, reopening Ennahdha’s headquarters, guaranteeing the impartiality of the election commission, and restoring judicial independence.

The Ennahdha leader, Rached Ghannouchi, a former speaker of parliament, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for glorifying terrorism, a claim that his supporters have disputed as being politically motivated. The organization’s offices were closed a year ago.

Once praised for its democratic advances, Tunisia is currently dealing with worsening economic unrest in recent years.