Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP)Tunisia is set to hold a presidential election on October 6, announced President Kais Saied’s office on Tuesday, though he has not yet confirmed whether he will seek re-election after his initial term began in 2019.
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.
A media crackdown has resulted in the prosecution of over 60 journalists, lawyers, and political opponents, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.
In May, Saied unexpectedly replaced the ministers of interior and social affairs in a surprise cabinet reshuffle following a series of arrests targeting rights activists, lawyers, and journalists.
Negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a $2 billion loan have stalled since Saied’s 2021 power grab, as he has rejected the reforms demanded by the IMF.
However, in June, the European Investment Bank announced grants and loans totaling 450 million euros ($480 million) to support infrastructure projects and small to midsize businesses.
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