TUNIS, July 19 – Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on Friday that he will seek another term in the October 6 elections, aiming to “continue the national liberation struggle.” This declaration was made via a video on the presidency’s Facebook page.
On the same day, opposition leader Lotfi Mraihi was sentenced to eight months in prison for vote buying and banned from running for president for life. Mraihi, leader of the Republican Union Party, is a prominent critic of Saied. Opposition parties accuse Saied’s government of using judicial pressure to eliminate political rivals ahead of the 2024 elections.
The opposition argues that fair elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to operate without government interference. Saied, elected in 2019, dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, actions the opposition describes as a coup.
Saied defends his steps as legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
