Tunisia’s electoral commission on Saturday announced the names of the final 26 candidates who will run for the September 15 Presidential poll to elect a successor to late leader Beji Caid Essebsi, reported Yahoo News. Those with the most votes will advance to a second-round two weeks later.
The election was brought forward from November to September following Essebsi’s death in July. About 70 candidates were disqualified from contesting in the polls.
“As long as there is no legal decision that prevents someone from running in the presidential elections, they have the right to do so,” Nabil Baffoun, Head of the Electoral Commission told a press conference Saturday. “And we have 26 candidates who enjoy all their rights to run for president. Their names have been added to the primary list. We announced today that they are definitely candidates for the presidential election.”
The final list includes the names of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, interim parliamentary speaker Abdelfattah Mourou and former defence minister Abdelkrim Zbidi. The two women candidates contesting the presidential election are former tourism minister Salma Elloumi and Abir Moussi, who heads a group formed from the remnants of Ben Ali’s ruling party.
Businessman Nabil Karoui has also been allowed to maintain his candidacy in the election despite being in custody on accusations of money laundering and tax evasion. The electoral authority said Karoui and another candidate accused of money laundering can run for president as long as they haven’t been convicted.
“The fact that the candidate Nabil Karoui is in jail is a concern but the electoral authority does not interfere in court cases, but at the same time strives to ensure the candidates all their rights,” Baffoun said.
The campaigning for the election officially begins Monday. It will run for two weeks from September 2 to 13 in Tunisia.
