Tunisian politician Abir Moussi, a staunch critic of President Kais Saied and the leader of her party, who has been incarcerated since October, officially registered her candidacy for the upcoming elections through her legal representatives, as reported by local media. According to Radio station Mosaique FM, six lawyers from Moussi's team submitted the necessary registration documents on her behalf for the presidential election scheduled on October 6. The registration process, which commenced on Monday, is set to conclude at 5pm on Tuesday.
Experts indicate that contenders for the presidency face substantial hurdles in their attempt to unseat incumbent Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019 but subsequently engineered a significant power seizure in 2021 and is now aiming for re-election. To qualify for the ballot, aspirants must furnish a list of signatures from 10,000 registered voters, including at least 500 signatures from each constituency—a daunting requirement, as described by political analyst Amine Kharrat—or obtain endorsements from legislators or local authorities. Moussi, 49, the leader of the Free Destourian Party and a former member of parliament, was apprehended on October 3 in front of the presidential palace, where her party claims she was attempting to submit appeals against decrees issued by Saied that dramatically altered the political landscape. She is charged with grave offenses, including "attempts to alter the form of government."
A vocal critic of both Saied and the Islamist opposition party Ennahdha, Moussi is accused by her opponents of advocating a return to the authoritarian regime of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during Tunisia's 2011 revolution. Other imprisoned opposition leaders had expressed their intention to run for office but were unable to proceed due to the lack of a power of attorney. This group includes Issam Chebbi, leader of the centrist party Al Joumhouri, and Ghazi Chaouchi, head of the social-democratic party Democratic Current, both detained for "conspiring against the state." These politicians are among over 20 of Saied's adversaries who have been detained since a wave of arrests in February 2023.
Critics of Saied from various political factions have expressed their frustration, arguing that the stringent new endorsement criteria are making it virtually impossible to secure a place on the ballot. Recently, four women involved in the presidential campaign of rapper-turned-entrepreneur Karim Gharbi, known as K2Rhym, were sentenced to jail for purchasing endorsement signatures. Additionally, three campaign staff members for media figure Nizar Chaari have been held under similar allegations, which the candidate has vehemently denied. A coalition of approximately 30 NGOs has condemned the "arbitrary detention" of candidates, an electoral body that has "lost its independence," and the "monopolization of public space" to support Saied's re-election campaign.
