TUNIS: The Tunisian Independent High Authority for Elections announced that candidates for the Oct. 6 presidential election can begin submitting their documents on Monday.
The submission period will remain open until August 6, news agency TAP reported.
Candidates or their authorized representatives must submit documents in person at the authority headquarters in Tunis between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Each submission must include a notarization confirming the authenticity of the signatures, validated by the relevant authorities.
For those representing political parties, the authority requires that the candidacy declaration bears the signature of the party’s legal representative, as well as their contact details.
Candidates must submit a list of their endorsers in paper and electronic formats, including comprehensive details of each endorser. The paper version must include the signatures of the endorsers and be notarized if the endorsers are elected council members or presidents.
The detailed requirements are intended to ensure a transparent and fair process leading up to the presidential election in October.
Tunisian President Kais Saied is widely expected to seek another five-year term. Elected in 2019, Saied, a former constitutional law professor and anti-establishment candidate, promised to combat corruption.
In 2021 he took full control of the country by dismissing the elected parliament and ruling by decree, a move the opposition condemned as a coup. He then supervised the drafting of a new constitution, which was approved by referendum in 2022. This new constitution established a presidential system and weakened the powers of parliament.
Saied’s consolidation of power has exacerbated Tunisia’s long-standing economic woes. Unemployment is at 15 percent, and about 4 million of the country’s 12 million people live in poverty.
A crackdown on dissent has led to the prosecution of more than 60 journalists, lawyers and political opponents, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.
