Tunisian President Kais Sayed has scheduled the country's presidential election for October 6. He is expected to run for a second term, reports Reuters, quoted by News.bg.
Elected president in 2019, Syed has not officially announced his candidacy. He stressed that he will not hand over power to "unpatriots".
According to the opposition, fair elections cannot be held unless the jailed politicians are released and the government puts pressure on the media.
Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a leading candidate according to opinion polls, has been in prison since last year on charges of harming public security. The party claims she was jailed to be removed from the political race.
Other potential presidential candidates, including Safi Said, Lotfi Maraihi, Nizar Chaari and Abd Elatif Mekki, face prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering. Mondher Znaidi, a prominent potential candidate who lives in France, also faces prosecution on suspicion of financial corruption.
Sayed took almost all power in 2021, dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree. He said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.