Tunisia: opposition threatens to boycott presidential election

The Tunisian opposition conditions its participation in the presidential election on the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission.

A few months before the election, the Tunisian opposition took a firm position by announcing the necessary conditions for its participation in the upcoming presidential election. Among the key demands is the release of political prisoners, several of whom have been charged or imprisoned since Kais Saied's coup against institutions in 2021.

The National Salvation Front, bringing together the main opposition parties, also calls for the independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission. Recent institutional changes introduced by President Saied, which give him the power to appoint members of these bodies, have raised concerns about the impartiality of the electoral process. The imprisonment of prominent opposition figures, including Rached Ghannouchi, former speaker of parliament, also raises concerns about respect for political rights and freedom of expression in the country.

Faced with these concerns, opposition supporters fear that the vote scheduled for September or October will be marred by irregularities and will not reflect the democratic will of the Tunisian people. In this context, some members of the opposition do not rule out the possibility of calling for a boycott of the presidential election if their demands are not met.