Tunisians vote in election, with main rival to President Saied in prison

6/10/2024 16:59

        Tunisians began voting on Sunday in an election in which President Kais Saied is seeking a second term, with his main rival suddenly jailed last month and the other candidate heading a minor political party.
        
        Tunisia had for years been hailed as the only relative success story of the 2011 "Arab spring" uprisings for introducing a competitive, though flawed, democracy following decades of autocratic rule.
        
        However, rights groups now say Saied, in power since 2019, has undone many of those democratic gains while removing institutional and legal checks on his power. Saied has rejected criticism of his actions, saying he is fighting a corrupt elite and traitors, and that he will not be a dictator.
        
        Senior figures from the biggest parties, which largely oppose Saied, have been imprisoned on various charges over the past year and those parties have not publicly backed any of the three candidates on Sunday's ballot. Other opponents have been barred from running.