2024 Tunisian presidential election
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 Member State of the Arab League |
.svg/16px-Africa_(orthographic_projection).svg.png){kind=small} Africa portal  Politics portal |
Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on 6 October 2024 in Tunisia.[1] They will be the first presidential elections since president Kais Saied’s self-coup in 2021.
Background
[edit]On 25 July 2021, Republic Day, after months of political crisis between the President of the Republic and Assembly of the Representatives of the People, thousands of demonstrators rallied to call for the dissolution of the Assembly and regime change.[2] These rallies are taking place as the health crisis around the COVID-19 pandemic escalates. On the same day, President Kais Saied dismissed the government of Hichem Mechichi and suspended the activities of the Assembly, using the emergency powers provided for in article 80 of the Constitution of Tunisia.[3] The country's largest parliamentary party, Ennahda, and its leader, Assembly Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, condemned the president's actions, calling them a coup d'état.[4] Some political analysts and lawyers have also called the events a coup d'état.[5]
On 22 September, Saied confirmed by decree the extension of the validity of the decisions, as well as the dissolution of the Provisional Body Responsible for Checking the Constitutionality of Bills, and decided to suspend the payment of wages and benefits provided to the chairman of the Assembly of Representatives of the People and its members,[6] and granted himself the right to rule by decree, de facto restoring legislative power.[7][6] His decision was criticized by most of the parties represented in Parliament.[8]
On 29 September, the President instructed Najla Bouden to form a new government. Thus, she became the first female head of government in the country and throughout the Arab world.[9]
In April 2024, the National Salvation Front coalition announced that it was boycotting the 2024 presidential election, denouncing an “electoral farce”.[10]
Constitutional referendum
[edit]From 15 January to 20 March 2022, an electronic consultation took place on the reforms to be proposed in anticipation of the referendum. During the ballot, which was the subject of a very low turnout, the options of a transition to a presidential system and to a single-member ballot for the legislative elections prevailed.[11][12][13]
On 30 March 2022, 120 deputies, under the chairmanship of the second vice-president of the Assembly Tarek Fetiti,[14] met in a virtual session to vote for the end of the exceptional measures in force since 25 July. The same day, Kaïs Saïed dissolved Parliament, which the Constitution forbids during the period when the state of exception is applied, and threatens the deputies with legal proceedings.[15][16]
On 6 April, Kais Saied announced the holding of the parliamentary ballot according to a two-round uninominal majority ballot.[17] On 5 September, he announced that the electoral law will be drafted taking into consideration the recommendations of the supporters of the 25 July process, and that the rest of the political class will be excluded from this process.[18] The electoral law will have to be published no later than 16 September to meet the deadlines.
On 25 July 2022, the new Constitution was adopted by constitutional referendum with 94.6% of the votes and a 30.5% turnout.[19] A new electoral law was then published by decree on 15 September.[20]
Candidates
[edit]Eligible
[edit] | This section needs to be updated. (August 2024) |
| Image | Candidates | Party | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kais Saied | Independent | [21] |
| Karim Gharbi | Independent | [22] | |
|
Abir Moussi | Free Destourian Party | [23] |
|
Lotfi Mraïhi | Republican People's Union | [24] |
| Najwa Miled | Independent | [25] | |
|
Néji Jalloul | The National Coalition | [26] |
| Mondher Zenaidi | Independent | [27] | |
|
Nizar Chaari | Independent | [28] |
|
Olfa Hamdi | Third Republic Party | [29][30][31] |
|
Safi Saïd | Gardens of Bees party | [32] |
Disqualifications and arrests
[edit]On 19 July 2024, a court barred Lotfi Mraïhi, the president of the Republican People's Union, from standing in elections for life after convicting him of vote-buying involving the 2019 presidential election. He was also sentenced to eight months' imprisonment.[33] Several candidates and campaign workers were also arrested and sentenced to prison during the candidate registration process, including Abir Moussi, who received a two-year sentence for charges of spreading false news shortly after registering her candidacy on 3 August, as well as Nizar Chaari, who received an eight-month prison term on 5 August and had three of his campaign workers arrested on charges of forging signatures. Four staffers of Karim Gharbi's presidential campaign were also arrested on charges of buying signatures of endorsement.[34]
Due to a new rule that states that a candidate must be at least 40 years old, Olfa Hamdi is automatically banned from participating.[35]
On 10 August, the High Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE) announced that it had approved the candidacies of President Saied, Zouhair Magzhaoui, and Ayachi Zammel, the leader of the Azimoun party, on a preliminary basis, adding that the other applicants were disqualified on the basis of lacking endorsements.[36]
References
[edit]- ^ "Tunisian president sets election date for Oct. 6". Reuters. 2 July 2024.
- ^ "En Tunisie, des milliers de manifestants défilent contre leurs dirigeants". Le Temps (in French). 25 July 2021. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Kais Saied prend tous les pouvoirs en main, suspend le parlement, limoge Mechichi et s'érige en chef de l'exécutif et du parquet". Leaders (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : le président s'arroge le pouvoir exécutif, Ennahdha condamne un "coup d'Etat contre la révolution"". leparisien.fr (in French). 25 July 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "En Tunisie, la crise politique débouche sur une crise constitutionnelle". Les Echos (in French). 26 July 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Publication de dispositions exceptionnelles de la présidence". RadioMosaiqueFM (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : Kaïs Saïed renforce les pouvoirs de la présidence". LEFIGARO (in French). 22 September 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie: mécontentement dans la classe politique après les annonces de Kaïs Saïed". RFI (in French). 23 September 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : Najla Bouden Romdhane chargée de former un nouveau gouvernement". France 24 (in French). 29 September 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie: le mouvement d'opposition du Front du salut national annonce boycotter la présidentielle". Radio France International (in French). 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Tunisie : la consultation citoyenne du président Kaïs Saïed a du plomb dans l'aile". France Culture (in French). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : une consultation largement boudée plébiscite un régime présidentiel". LEFIGARO (in French). 1 April 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie: échec de la consultation nationale en ligne voulue par le président Saïed". RFI (in French). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Chamsi, Chahrazed (31 March 2022). "Ftiti: Leur but était de pousser le chef de l'Etat à organiser un dialogue national ou à dissoudre le Parlement [Audio]". Tunisie (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : la crise institutionnelle s'aggrave". Les Echos (in French). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie : poussé dans ses derniers retranchements, Kaïs Saïed dissout l'Assemblée". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie: Saïed annonce des nouvelles règles de vote aux élections législatives". Challenges (in French). 6 April 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Législatives: Un nouveau projet avec les adhérents au 25 juillet". RadioMosaiqueFM (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Référendum en Tunisie : la nouvelle Constitution adoptée malgré une forte abstention". France 24 (in French). 26 July 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "En Tunisie, une nouvelle loi électorale réduit le rôle des partis politiques". France 24 (in French). 15 September 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Tunisian President Saied says he will seek re-election in October". Al Jazeera. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Tunisie : le rappeur K2Rhym veut faire entendre sa voix à la présidentielle".
- ^ "PDL: Abir Moussi candidate for presidential elections". Tunisia News. 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Tunisia – Mraïhi undertakes to modify constitution if he is elected to presidency". Tunisia News. 24 April 2024.
- ^ "L'actrice Najwa Miled candidate à la présidentielle".
- ^ "Neji Jalloul candidat à la présidentielle".
- ^ "Tunisia : Mondher Zenaidi ties up loose ends ahead of presidential bid - 01/03/2024". Africa Intelligence. 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Nizar Chaâri se présente à la prochaine élection présidentielle".
- ^ https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/olfa-hamdi-announces-2024-presidential-campaign-in-tunisia-b2795b90
- ^ "مرشّحة لرئاسة الجمهورية التونسية الفة الحامدي | Olfa Hamdi Presidential Candidate Tunisia 2024". Olfahamdi2024.
- ^ "Former TunisAir CEO Olfa Hamdi is running for Presidency in Tunisia". 16 February 2024 – via www.voaafrica.com.
- ^ "Tunisia-Safi Saïd: "I have decided to run for 2024 presidential election" (Video)". Tunisia News. 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Tunisian presidential candidate Lotfi Mraihi barred from contesting elections for life". Associated Press. 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Key Saied critic gets jail sentence as Tunisia presidential hopefuls report blocks to entering race". France 24. 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Election présidentielle : Le parti d'Olfa Hamdi dépose un recours contre l'ISIE".
- ^ "Tunisia's electoral commission approves two candidates and incumbent Saied for presidential vote". France 24. 11 August 2024.
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