Tunisia’s president wins second term after cracking down on the opposition
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia’s president wins second term after cracking down on the opposition

LA Times  

Kais Saied joins his supporters Sunday in the capital, Tunis, after provisional results for the presidential elections were announced. Tunisian President Kais Saied won reelection in a landslide victory after a campaign season that saw his opponents jailed alongside journalists, activists and attorneys. The North African country’s Independent High Authority for Elections said Monday evening that Saied had won 90.7% of the vote — a reflection of how his supporters participated in Sunday’s race while the majority of his detractors chose to boycott. His closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7.4% of the vote after sitting in prison for the majority of campaign season facing multiple prison sentences for election-related crimes. The election was Tunisia’s third since the 2011 Arab Spring, when protests for “bread, freedom and dignity” led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

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Tunisia's President Kais Saied Wins Re-Election Despite Opposition Crackdown
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia's President Kais Saied Wins Re-Election Despite Opposition Crackdown

Associated Press  

Tunisia's President Kais Saied won re-election in a landslide victory, securing 90.7% of the vote. His closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7.4%. The election was marred by the arrests of several declared challengers and the ongoing incarceration of his most prominent right-wing and Islamist critics.

Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election

NPR  

Democracy may be at stake in Tunisia's presidential election Could this weekend's election in Tunisia sound the death knell for democracy in its third presidential election since the Arab spring? BEARDSLEY: Freedom bred democracy was the slogan of the revolution, says Monica Marks, professor of Middle East politics at New York University. BEARDSLEY: So when Saied shuttered the Parliament in …

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring

Associated Press  

Tunisia's third presidential election since the Arab Spring is underway, with President Kais Saied seeking a second term. The election is expected to be closely contested, with few challengers able to challenge his dominance. The outcome will have significant implications for Tunisia's democracy and its future trajectory.

The presidential campaign season in Tunisia is officially underway a day after protests
3 months, 1 week ago

The presidential campaign season in Tunisia is officially underway a day after protests

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The official start of the presidential campaign season in Tunisia began on Saturday, a day after Tunisians took their anger to the streets of the capital to decry what protesters say is the deteriorating state of the country. More than a decade later, Ben Abdelslam said he was worried about the growing number of political figures who’ve …

Algeria’s Abdelmadjid Tebboune re-elected president with 94.7 percent vote
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Algeria’s Abdelmadjid Tebboune re-elected president with 94.7 percent vote

Al Jazeera  

The Algerian leader, who is backed by the country’s army, secures 94.7 percent of the votes, authorities say. Algeria’s incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, has been re-elected to the position with an emphatic vote, says the country’s electoral authority. “Of 5,630,000 voters recorded, 5,320,000 voted for the independent candidate Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accounting for 94.65 percent” of Saturday’s vote, National Independent …

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is reelected in a landslide in gas-rich Algeria
3 months, 2 weeks ago

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is reelected in a landslide in gas-rich Algeria

LA Times  

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune speaks after casting his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections Saturday in Algiers. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been named the winner of Algeria’s presidential election, granting him another term leading the gas-rich North African nation five years after pro-democracy protests led to the ouster of his predecessor. In a result that surprised few …

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s electoral authority on Monday definitively approved just two candidates to challenge President Kais Saied in elections next month in the struggling North African country — and one of them was promptly arrested. Also Monday, Tunisia’s electoral authority confirmed that only incumbent Saied, Zammel, who leads a small pro-business party, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, a former left-wing pan-Arabist …

Tunisia's electoral commission approves three presidential candidates, dismisses all others
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia's electoral commission approves three presidential candidates, dismisses all others

The Hindu  

Tunisia’s electoral commission rejected on Monday an administrative court ruling reinstating three presidential election candidates, reinforcing opposition fears that the commission sought to favour incumbent leader Kais Saied. Defying the highest judicial body, the commission approved only the candidacies of President Saied and two others, Zouhair Magzhaoui and Ayachi Zammel, for the Oct. 6 contest. Last week, the administrative court, …

Tunisia’s president reshuffles Cabinet ahead of October election
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Tunisia’s president reshuffles Cabinet ahead of October election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has sacked several members of his Cabinet this week, replacing his defense and foreign ministers as campaigning kicks off for the country’s October presidential election. Three years since Saied rewrote Tunisia’s constitution granting him full power to choose his Cabinet, the reshuffling is far from the first time in which he has fired …

A candidate cull ahead of Tunisia’s presidential election
4 months, 1 week ago

A candidate cull ahead of Tunisia’s presidential election

Al Jazeera  

Most prospective candidates saw their names ruled out, with some finding themselves in prison. “The Tunisian authorities’ disrespect for human rights and their crackdown against opponents must stop,” rights group Amnesty International said in early July. “It’s not really that he’s worried about losing,” he said about the president, who remains relatively popular within Tunisia, “it’s that neither he nor …

Tunisia’s president replaces prime minister in the latest shakeup ahead of presidential election
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisia’s president replaces prime minister in the latest shakeup ahead of presidential election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s president has sacked the country’s prime minister and replaced him with another Cabinet member, the latest shakeup in the North African country ahead of the October presidential election. President Kais Saied announced late Wednesday in a brief press release that he was dismissing Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani after only one year in office. Saied also named …

Tunisian Opposition figure Abir Moussi sentenced to two years amid crackdown ahead of October election
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisian Opposition figure Abir Moussi sentenced to two years amid crackdown ahead of October election

The Hindu  

A potential Presidential candidate in Tunisia has been sentenced to two years in prison, marking another setback to the country’s fledgling Opposition challenging President Kais Saied as he seeks a new term. Ms. Moussi’s lawyer Nafaa Laribi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she still intends to run in the October 6 Presidential election, and that, unlike other candidates, …

Tunisian opposition figure Moussi is sentenced to prison amid crackdown ahead of October election
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tunisian opposition figure Moussi is sentenced to prison amid crackdown ahead of October election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — A potential presidential candidate in Tunisia has been sentenced to two years in prison, marking another setback to the country’s fledgling opposition challenging President Kais Saied as he seeks a new term. Following a complaint by the North African nation’s election authority, she was found guilty of violating a controversial anti-fake news decree outlawing spreading information that …

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints

Hindustan Times  

Tunisia has kicked off candidacy submissions for its upcoming presidential election on October 6, amid what experts say are significant constraints on hopefuls challenging incumbent President Kais Saied. Kharrat said many factors are "reducing the credibility" of the upcoming election, referring to the candidacy criteria, the delayed announcement of the election day, and a 2022 law punishing "spreading false news". …

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints

New Indian Express  

TUNIS: Tunisia has kicked off candidacy submissions for its upcoming presidential election on October 6, amid what experts say are significant constraints on hopefuls challenging incumbent President Kais Saied. Detained for "plotting against the state", the two politicians are among over 20 of Saied's opponents held since a flurry of arrests in February 2023. An expert speaking on condition of …

Tunisian President Saied says he will seek re-election in October
5 months ago

Tunisian President Saied says he will seek re-election in October

Al Jazeera  

As president runs for new term, critics say credible polls can’t be held unless jailed opposition politicians are freed. Saied’s announcement comes as the opposition says fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to do its job without pressure from the government. “I officially announce my candidacy for the October …

Tunisian President Kais Saied to seek reelection in October after tumultuous first term
5 months ago

Tunisian President Kais Saied to seek reelection in October after tumultuous first term

Associated Press  

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied said Friday that he will run for a second term, making a long-expected announcement while many of his potential opponents languish in prison on charges their attorneys have described as politicized. Saied, a 66-year-old former law professor, rose to power in 2019, capitalizing on anger against politicians who failed to fulfill the promises of the revolution …

Tunisia sets elections for October. The increasingly authoritarian president hasn’t said he’ll run
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia sets elections for October. The increasingly authoritarian president hasn’t said he’ll run

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s increasingly authoritarian leader has scheduled the next presidential election for October without saying whether he will seek a second term after five tumultuous years at the head of the North African nation once seen as a model of democracy for the Arab world. Saied ran in 2019 on a populist, anti-corruption platform that energized Tunisians disillusioned …

Tunisia’s Saied sets presidential election date for October 6
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia’s Saied sets presidential election date for October 6

Al Jazeera  

The vote comes as many of Saied’s political opponents and media critics are in jail or facing prosecution. Tunisian President Kais Saied has called a presidential election for October 6, setting himself up for possible re-election as many of his political opponents are behind bars. “Kais Saied from now until the elections has a long list of individuals, associations, parties …

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday it won’t take part in the North African country’s upcoming presidential election unless President Kais Saied’s political opponents are freed and judicial independence is restored. More than 20 political opponents have been charged or imprisoned since Saied consolidated power in 2021 by suspending parliament and rewriting the country’s constitution. The National …

Algeria sets election for September. The military-backed president is expected to seek a 2nd term
9 months ago

Algeria sets election for September. The military-backed president is expected to seek a 2nd term

Associated Press  

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria will hold its next election on Sept. 7, giving first-term President Abdelmajid Tebboune more than five months to campaign should he decide to seek a second term leading the oil-rich north African nation. Only Zoubida Assoul of the Union for Change and Progress has come forward …

Tunisia’s President Saied might be re-elected despite a tumultuous first term and a flagging economy
54 years, 11 months ago

Tunisia’s President Saied might be re-elected despite a tumultuous first term and a flagging economy

Associated Press  

DATE OF ELECTION Fall TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential WHO’S RUNNING Though he has yet to announce plans to run for a second term, Tunisian President Kais Saied is up for reelection after a tumultuous first term. Throughout his tenure, he has reversed some of Tunisia’s democratic gains -- rewriting the country’s constitution to consolidate his own power and jailing critics, …

Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi sentenced to three years
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi sentenced to three years

Al Jazeera  

Ghannouchi’s Ennahda Party is accused of receiving foreign funds as President Kais Saied continues crackdown on opposition. A Tunisian court has sentenced opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to three years in prison over accusations that his Ennahda Party received foreign contributions, official news agency Tunis Afrique Press reported, amid an escalating crackdown on dissent in the North African country. “The sentencing …

Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism
1 year, 1 month ago

Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The leader of Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party was sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism and inciting hatred in the North African country, once seen as a model for democracy in the Arab world but increasingly authoritarian in recent years. The Court of Appeal in the capital, Tunis, pronounced the sentence late Monday against the …

Despite multiple crises, Tunisia’s president still has his supporters
1 year, 4 months ago

Despite multiple crises, Tunisia’s president still has his supporters

Al Jazeera  

Economic crisis and political repression have pushed many away, but Saied is still backed by some. Since suspending the country’s parliament and dismissing its prime minister and government in July 2021 – moves his opponents considered a “coup” – the president has ruled directly. Away from the gaze of the public, a storekeeper, who gave his name as Mahmoud Tounsi …

Tunisians protest president’s expanding powers and demand release of all jailed political opponents
1 year, 4 months ago

Tunisians protest president’s expanding powers and demand release of all jailed political opponents

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Despite scorching heat, opposition demonstrators gathered on Tuesday on the main thoroughfare in Tunisia’s capital to denounce policies pursued by President Kaïs Saied, two years to the day after he suspended parliament in the first step of a gradual rollback of Tunisia’s democratic freedoms. Hundreds of people joined the protest by a coalition of opposition parties and …

Tunisia protest marks two years since president’s power grab
1 year, 5 months ago

Tunisia protest marks two years since president’s power grab

Al Jazeera  

Opposition has kept up its demonstrations against what it calls a ‘coup’ against Tunisia’s democracy. About 300 protesters have rallied in Tunis to mark the second anniversary of President Kais Saied’s adoption of sweeping powers and to demand the release of 20 detained opposition figures. The opposition has kept up its protests against Saied despite the arrest in February of …

Tunisia’s moderate Islamist leader sentenced in absentia to year in prison
1 year, 7 months ago

Tunisia’s moderate Islamist leader sentenced in absentia to year in prison

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — A court has sentenced moderate Tunisian Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi to a year in prison for allegedly referring to police officers as tyrants in what his party said Tuesday amounted to a sham trial. Ghannouchi, 81, founder of the Ennahdha party, has refused to be removed from his place of detention for questioning or to attend Monday’s …

Arrests of Tunisia opposition leaders draw global condemnation
1 year, 8 months ago

Arrests of Tunisia opposition leaders draw global condemnation

Al Jazeera  

The US says the arrests ‘represent a troubling escalation by the Tunisian government against perceived opponents’. In a statement on Wednesday, the US government said the arrest on Monday of former Speaker of Parliament Ghannouchi and the closure of the Ennahdha party headquarters “are fundamentally at odds with the principles Tunisians adopted in a constitution,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant …

Tunisian president names ally as new interior minister
1 year, 9 months ago

Tunisian president names ally as new interior minister

Al Jazeera  

Former Tunis governor Kamal Feki was given the post, days after mass opposition protests took place in the country. Tunisian President Kais Saied has named Kamal Feki as his new interior minister, hours after Taoufik Charfeddine resigned from the post amid a crackdown on prominent opposition figures. Saied issued two decrees on Friday, the first removing Charfeddine and a second …

Tunisian Islamist leader arrested in crackdown on opposition
1 year, 10 months ago

Tunisian Islamist leader arrested in crackdown on opposition

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian authorities arrested the leader of the Ennahda opposition Islamist movement in a crackdown on rival politicians and critics of the North African country’s increasingly authoritarian president Kais Saied, lawyers said Tuesday. Noureddine Bhiri, a senior Ennahda leader, was taken into custody by armed police at his home in the capital, Tunis, late Monday on suspicion of …

Tunisia: Anti-gov’t protests take place on revolution anniversary
1 year, 11 months ago

Tunisia: Anti-gov’t protests take place on revolution anniversary

Al Jazeera  

Demonstrators in Tunis marked 12 years since the Arab Spring revolution erupted across the region. Protesters are also marking 12 years since the Arab Spring revolution erupted across the region. The central Avenue Habib Bourguiba – the artery of the capital, Tunis, and a key site for the revolution – was crowded on Saturday with thousands of protesters waving Tunisian …

Tunisia’s election: The beginning of the end for Saeid
2 years ago

Tunisia’s election: The beginning of the end for Saeid

Al Jazeera  

The election, seen as a sham by most in the country, did nothing to defuse the tensions that will likely lead to the downfall of President Kais Saeid’s authoritarian regime. Tunisia’s December 17 parliamentary election, the first since Tunisian President Kais Saied’s July 2021 power grab turned the country into a de-facto dictatorship, proved to be a sham as expected. …

Disillusioned with democracy, Tunisians to elect parliament
2 years ago

Disillusioned with democracy, Tunisians to elect parliament

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — To the outside world, Saturday’s elections in Tunisia raise several red flags: Many opposition parties are boycotting them, foreign media are banned from talking to candidates and critics say the new electoral law makes it harder for women to compete. Neila Zoghlami, president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, said the electoral law “does not meet …

Tunisian president trims parties’ powers ahead of elections
2 years, 3 months ago

Tunisian president trims parties’ powers ahead of elections

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian President Kais Saied has made new changes to electoral law that diminish the role of political parties, three months ahead of legislative elections, in what opposition groups see as the latest step in a sweeping power grab. A new electoral law published overnight Friday reduces the number of members of the lower house of parliament from …

Strangling Tunisia’s democracy
2 years, 4 months ago

Strangling Tunisia’s democracy

The Hindu  

On August 16, the results of the referendum on the amendments to the national constitution proposed by Tunisian president Kais Saied were formally endorsed by the election commission, effectively terminating the country’s brief encounter with a democratic order. In December 2021, Mr. Saied announced a “road map” for political change — online “consultations” on constitutional reform, a committee to propose …

After the referendum: The challenges of a power grab in Tunisia
2 years, 4 months ago

After the referendum: The challenges of a power grab in Tunisia

The Hindu  

The story so far:Tunisian voters have approved a new Constitution that would turn the country back into a presidential system, institutionalising the one-man reign of President Kais Saied, who suspended the elected Parliament and awarded more powers to himself last year. While Mr. Saied has welcomed the result, his critics have warned that the new Constitution would erase whatever democratic …

Tunisian president sacks dozens of judges as he consolidates rule
2 years, 6 months ago

Tunisian president sacks dozens of judges as he consolidates rule

Al Jazeera  

Kais Saied, whose opponents accuse him of a ‘coup’, has been ruling by decree since he set aside the 2014 constitution. Tunisia’s president sacked 57 judges on Wednesday, accusing them of corruption and protecting “terrorists”, as he seeks to remodel the country’s political system after consolidating one-man rule. The council had acted as the main guarantor of judicial independence since …

Tunisia president unwilling to compromise as democracy fears grow
2 years, 7 months ago

Tunisia president unwilling to compromise as democracy fears grow

Al Jazeera  

President Kais Saied rejects calls for dialogue with the opposition, a week after appointing a new election commission. Tunisia’s political crisis began after Saied sacked the government, suspended parliament, and took emergency powers nine months ago; actions that were labelled a “coup” by his opponents. “It can be said that the commission has become the president’s body par excellence, with …

Tunisia caught between president and parliament as crisis deepens
2 years, 8 months ago

Tunisia caught between president and parliament as crisis deepens

Al Jazeera  

Both Tunisian parliament and President Saied are trying to exert authority, as Saied announces parliament’s dissolution. The Tunisian President Kais Saied’s decision to dissolve parliament followed a day of political drama, and one that could define the outcome of Tunisia’s continuing political crisis. The announcement on Wednesday followed a decision by the Tunisian parliament to reconvene virtually in defiance of …

Tunisia’s president dissolves parliament, extending power grab
2 years, 8 months ago

Tunisia’s president dissolves parliament, extending power grab

Al Jazeera  

Kais Saied says the move, eight months after the suspension of parliament, aims to ‘preserve the state and its institutions’. Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has announced on state TV that he is dissolving the country’s parliament, eight months after suspending it in a July power grab. Following the online session, Tunisia’s justice minister, Leila Jeffal, asked the attorney general to …

The West should not continue to support Tunisia’s new dictator
2 years, 10 months ago

The West should not continue to support Tunisia’s new dictator

Al Jazeera  

The birthplace of the Arab Spring is now an autocracy and Western democracies helped it get there. After initially delaying talks with the International Monetary Fund on the urgently needed bailout package, and accusing both the IMF and the World Bank of “hypocrisy” for backing corrupt political and economic lobbies, for example, Saied recently flipped his discourse and now seems …

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022
3 years ago

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022

Al Jazeera  

President Kais Saied says Tunisia will hold a referendum on a new constitution in July 2022, before general elections in December. Tunisia will hold a constitutional referendum next July, President Kais Saied announced on Monday, months after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents called a coup. The referendum vote would take place on July 25, a year after …

Tunisia’s President Saied approves new government
3 years, 2 months ago

Tunisia’s President Saied approves new government

Al Jazeera  

Development comes 11 weeks after Saied sacked the PM, suspended parliament and granted himself judicial powers. Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has approved a new government selected by newly-appointed Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane. The development came on Monday, 11 weeks after Saied sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and granted himself judicial powers in a July 25 power grab that …

Tunisia protest shows rift over president’s seizure of power
3 years, 2 months ago

Tunisia protest shows rift over president’s seizure of power

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Several thousand demonstrators gathered in central Tunis on Sunday to protest President Kaïs Saied’s recent consolidation of power, which his critics have called a “coup.” The protest reflected an increasingly visible rift in Tunisian society over the president’s actions. One woman held a sign that read “Ever seen a president calling his people insects?”, referring to Saied’s …

Ex-Tunisia president calls for protests against Kais Saied
3 years, 2 months ago

Ex-Tunisia president calls for protests against Kais Saied

Al Jazeera  

Moncef Marzouki tells all Tunisians to rally on Sunday in defence of the constitution, democracy, and national sovereignty. Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has called on Tunisians to stage protests on Sunday against the power grab by the country’s president, Kais Saied. Last month, he brushed aside much of the constitution to say he could pass legislation by decree, casting …

Tunisia: Thousands rally in support of President Saied
3 years, 2 months ago

Tunisia: Thousands rally in support of President Saied

Al Jazeera  

Thousands of supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied have rallied in the capital to show their backing for his suspension of parliament and promises to change the political system, acts his critics call a coup. On Sunday, demonstrators waved Tunisian flags and carried placards railing against Ennahdha, the “Muslim democratic” party that is the biggest in parliament and has acted …

Romdhane named Tunisia’s first female PM by President Saied
3 years, 2 months ago

Romdhane named Tunisia’s first female PM by President Saied

Al Jazeera  

President Kais Saied appoints Najla Bouden Romdhane as the new prime minister, nearly two months after his power grab. Tunisian President Kais Saied has named Najla Bouden Romdhane, a little-known university engineer who worked with the World Bank, as the country’s first female prime minister, nearly two months after he seized most powers in a move his foes call a …

Hundreds of Tunisians protest President Saied’s ‘power grab’
3 years, 2 months ago

Hundreds of Tunisians protest President Saied’s ‘power grab’

Al Jazeera  

Protesters are calling on President Kais Saied to resign after he announced he would rule by decree. Demonstrators gathered on Sunday in the centre of Tunis along Habib Bourguiba Avenue under a heavy police presence to demand his resignation, chanting, “The people want the fall of the coup.” Brushing aside much of the 2014 constitution, Saied gave himself the power …

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