Tunisian president sets election date for Oct. 6

INA-sources

Tunisian President Kais Saied set the presidential election date for Oct. 6 and is widely expected to seek a second term, with at least one potential candidate in jail and others facing prosecution. Elected president in 2019, Saied has not officially announced his candidacy but said last year he will not hand power to what he called non-patriots. The opposition says fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to do its job without pressure from the government.

Opposition parties including the Ennahda Islamist party and Free Constitutional Party say they see attempts by the government to exclude Saied's main rivals from the election. Said earlier this year criticized what he described as "politicians' jostling for office", saying those who previously boycotted parliamentary elections now wanted his job. Abir Moussa, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a prominent candidate according to opinion polls, has been in prison since last year on charges of harming public security.

  
Source: Reuters