Tunisian president announces run for another term
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After calling for a presidential election, the Tunisian president officially announced his plans for a second term.
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Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 31, 2024. (AP)
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, who has held office since 2019, has declared his intention to run for another term.
The next presidential election in Tunisia will take place on October 6.
"I officially announce my candidacy for the October 6 presidential election in order to keep up the fight in the battle for national liberation," Saied said in a video released by his office.
Earlier this month, President Kais Saied's office announced on July 3 that Tunisia is set to hold a presidential election on October 6.
Saied, a constitutional expert, abruptly shuttered the parliament, dismissed the government, and assumed rule by decree in July 2021, proceeding to rewrite the constitution that had previously passed through a referendum with a low turnout two years earlier.
Despite assertions from critics characterizing his actions as a coup, Saied has consistently denied such claims, asserting that they were necessary to rescue Tunisia from years of chaos.
"The president of the republic issued a decree today, July 2, 2024, summoning voters for a presidential election on Sunday, October 6, 2024," Saied's office said in a statement.
It is worth noting that the political turmoil has severely impacted Tunisia's economy, with unemployment at 15% and approximately one-third of the population living in poverty.
A media crackdown has resulted in the prosecution of over 60 journalists, lawyers, and political opponents, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.
