٠٠:٠٣:٣٢Hundreds of Tunisians marched in Tunis on Friday to denounce President Kais Saied over his alleged political crackdown on the opposition, two days before the country heads to the polls for the presidential election.
Footage shows protesters marching from Le Passage Square to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, chanting and holding banners reading "O Pharaoh who defrauds the law" and "Freedoms, freedoms, no presidency for life."
Demonstrators at the rally called by the Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms said they believe the elections lack credibility and integrity. Presidential candidate in the 2014 elections Mohamed Hamdi noted that ‘the state of rights and freedoms is concerning’ amid ‘restrictions’ and a ‘decline in political activity’.
“In addition, the judiciary and all other transitional democratic institutions are being systematically targeted, with a strong effort to consolidate one-person rule and absolute power that is neither overseen nor held to account,” Hamdi explained.
Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms member Nawras El-Hami described the elections scheduled for October 6 as ‘a badly directed play’.
"We oppose these elections, and we come out today to say 'no' to all this absurdity and to confirm that the street belongs to the people, especially the youth," she declared,
Political tensions have escalated in Tunisia since the election commission, formed by Kais Saied, disqualified prominent opposition candidates, while the administrative court was later deprived of its jurisdiction to settle electoral disputes by parliament.
Only three of the seventeen candidates who applied are authorised to participate, amid a slew of arrests. They are the incumbent President Kais Saied, seeking a second term, along with Azmoun Movement Secretary-General Ayachi Zammal and People's Movement Secretary-General Zuhair al-Maghzawi.
Zammal, who has been in prison since September 2 on charges of ‘fabricating popular recommendation cards’, says he has been ‘subjected to intimidation’ since he is a serious rival to Saied.
The Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia (ISIE) has disqualified several candidates for failing to fulfil eligibility requirements and rejected the Administrative Court's decision to reinstate three presidential candidates. The Administrative Court upheld its decision that the Election Commission had to relist the three presidential candidates rejected by the commission.
The election scheduled for Sunday will be the twelfth in the nation's history and the third after the 2011 revolution that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled for 23 years.
‘Efforts to consolidate one-person rule, absolute power’ - Protest against President Kais Saied held in Tunis ahead of election
Hundreds of Tunisians marched in Tunis on Friday to denounce President Kais Saied over his alleged political crackdown on the opposition, two days before the country heads to the polls for the presidential election.
Footage shows protesters marching from Le Passage Square to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, chanting and holding banners reading "O Pharaoh who defrauds the law" and "Freedoms, freedoms, no presidency for life."
Demonstrators at the rally called by the Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms said they believe the elections lack credibility and integrity. Presidential candidate in the 2014 elections Mohamed Hamdi noted that ‘the state of rights and freedoms is concerning’ amid ‘restrictions’ and a ‘decline in political activity’.
“In addition, the judiciary and all other transitional democratic institutions are being systematically targeted, with a strong effort to consolidate one-person rule and absolute power that is neither overseen nor held to account,” Hamdi explained.
Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms member Nawras El-Hami described the elections scheduled for October 6 as ‘a badly directed play’.
"We oppose these elections, and we come out today to say 'no' to all this absurdity and to confirm that the street belongs to the people, especially the youth," she declared,
Political tensions have escalated in Tunisia since the election commission, formed by Kais Saied, disqualified prominent opposition candidates, while the administrative court was later deprived of its jurisdiction to settle electoral disputes by parliament.
Only three of the seventeen candidates who applied are authorised to participate, amid a slew of arrests. They are the incumbent President Kais Saied, seeking a second term, along with Azmoun Movement Secretary-General Ayachi Zammal and People's Movement Secretary-General Zuhair al-Maghzawi.
Zammal, who has been in prison since September 2 on charges of ‘fabricating popular recommendation cards’, says he has been ‘subjected to intimidation’ since he is a serious rival to Saied.
The Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia (ISIE) has disqualified several candidates for failing to fulfil eligibility requirements and rejected the Administrative Court's decision to reinstate three presidential candidates. The Administrative Court upheld its decision that the Election Commission had to relist the three presidential candidates rejected by the commission.
The election scheduled for Sunday will be the twelfth in the nation's history and the third after the 2011 revolution that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled for 23 years.
Hundreds of Tunisians marched in Tunis on Friday to denounce President Kais Saied over his alleged political crackdown on the opposition, two days before the country heads to the polls for the presidential election.
Footage shows protesters marching from Le Passage Square to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, chanting and holding banners reading "O Pharaoh who defrauds the law" and "Freedoms, freedoms, no presidency for life."
Demonstrators at the rally called by the Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms said they believe the elections lack credibility and integrity. Presidential candidate in the 2014 elections Mohamed Hamdi noted that ‘the state of rights and freedoms is concerning’ amid ‘restrictions’ and a ‘decline in political activity’.
“In addition, the judiciary and all other transitional democratic institutions are being systematically targeted, with a strong effort to consolidate one-person rule and absolute power that is neither overseen nor held to account,” Hamdi explained.
Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms member Nawras El-Hami described the elections scheduled for October 6 as ‘a badly directed play’.
"We oppose these elections, and we come out today to say 'no' to all this absurdity and to confirm that the street belongs to the people, especially the youth," she declared,
Political tensions have escalated in Tunisia since the election commission, formed by Kais Saied, disqualified prominent opposition candidates, while the administrative court was later deprived of its jurisdiction to settle electoral disputes by parliament.
Only three of the seventeen candidates who applied are authorised to participate, amid a slew of arrests. They are the incumbent President Kais Saied, seeking a second term, along with Azmoun Movement Secretary-General Ayachi Zammal and People's Movement Secretary-General Zuhair al-Maghzawi.
Zammal, who has been in prison since September 2 on charges of ‘fabricating popular recommendation cards’, says he has been ‘subjected to intimidation’ since he is a serious rival to Saied.
The Independent High Authority for Elections of Tunisia (ISIE) has disqualified several candidates for failing to fulfil eligibility requirements and rejected the Administrative Court's decision to reinstate three presidential candidates. The Administrative Court upheld its decision that the Election Commission had to relist the three presidential candidates rejected by the commission.
The election scheduled for Sunday will be the twelfth in the nation's history and the third after the 2011 revolution that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled for 23 years.