In Tunisia, hundreds demonstrate in favor of a date for impartial presidential elections

On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators flocked to the capital of Tunisia to call for the holding of free and fair presidential elections as well as the release of opposition, activist, and journalist prisoners.

A wave of arrests targeting journalists, attorneys, activists, and opponents coincides with the protest, which takes place amidst a political and economic crisis.

Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer well-known for her scathing criticism of President Kais Saied, was taken into custody by Tunisian police when they raided the Deanship of Lawyers building on Saturday. On the same day, two journalists were also taken into custody.

Although the Election Commission had previously stated that the polls will take place on schedule, it has yet to provide a date as the president’s first term, which lasts five years, is coming to an end.

After free elections in 2019, Saied assumed office. However, two years later, he shut down the elected parliament and began governing by decree, seizing more authority.

In a move dubbed a coup by the opposition, he also took control of the court.

Saied has been critical of the opposition’s alleged race for the presidency on several occasions, claiming they skipped the most recent round of legislative elections to concentrate on winning the presidency.

The opposition claims that because of press restrictions and the incarceration of well-known opponents and activists, the political environment is not now conducive to holding elections.

On Sunday, they demanded a free and clear political environment in order to cast a vote that ends constraints on press and political freedoms.

“There’s no date or climate for fair elections today because the authorities are repressing journalists, lawyers, and politicians,” stated Imed Khemiri, a prominent Ennahda party leader and member of the Salvation Front, the group coordinating the demonstration.

“The storming of the lawyers’ headquarters yesterday is a dangerous precedent that perpetuates the authoritarian regime,” he stated.

One of the most well-known candidates, Abir Moussa, has been imprisoned for months, and Mondher Zanaidi declared his candidacy for a potential election from France, knowing full well that he would face detention if he went back to Tunisia.

Saied charged prospective candidates with treachery and seeking refuge overseas, without saying who he was referring to.