Tunisia-Elections: Deadline for candidacy bids submission extended

Tunisia’s independent electoral Commission, ISIE, announced the extension of the legislative elections candidacy bids submissions to October 27.

The deadline was hit on Sunday October 23. The commission said Monday it had received 1068 candidacies in addition to 181 coming female candidates.

The extension of the deadline, according to the electoral body, is meant to help those wishing to run for the elections to submit their bids and to enable those whose candidacies are incomplete to meet conditions.

Tunisians will go to the polls on December 17 to renew the parliament, suspended and dissolved for more than one year after President Kais Saied seized all major power on July 25, 2021 in a move described as a coup.

The country adopted a new and infamous constitution on July 25, 2022. The process was boycotted by Major political parties and most civil society groups which argued that it is unconstitutional and a way to validate the putsch conducted by President Saied on July 25 last year when he snatched all major powers in the North African country.

The ISIE put turnout at 30 per cent while several critics including political parties and civil society groups who called on citizens to boycott the process say the figures were inflated.