Ahmad 
The French newspaper “Le Figaro” reported that Tunisian President Kais Saied, who is seeking a second term, has succeeded in marginalizing the opposition and crushing any potential competition, as the Tunisian presidential elections scheduled for October 6 approach.
The newspaper indicated that Saied, who submitted his candidacy based on more than 200,000 endorsements, has prepared the rules of the electoral competition in a way that makes it difficult for serious candidates to compete.
So far, 108 candidates have applied for the presidency of the republic, but they are not expected to pass the preliminary stage easily.
Saied has adopted a new electoral law that strengthens his control over the electoral process, and the law and the judiciary are used to eliminate serious competitors through strict requirements such as submitting a document proving that their criminal record is free of violations, a document that is difficult to obtain for many candidates
Since his coup on July 25, 2021, Saied has undermined the democratic transition by eliminating intermediary bodies, dissolving constitutional bodies, intimidating opponents and imprisoning some of them using Decree 54.
Despite his complete control over power, the report notes that Saied’s popularity has declined significantly since the previous elections in which he won 72% of the vote. However, he has managed to put obstacles in the way of serious competitors such as Abir Moussi, Lotfi Mraihi, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi.
Parties such as the People’s Movement led by Zouhair Maghzaoui support Saied’s path while keeping a limited distance from him. In contrast, former Ben Ali minister Mondher Zenaidi is a potential contender, but his candidacy faces significant challenges in collecting the required documents and endorsements from Paris, where he resides.
Preparations for the presidential elections predict unsurprising but divisive results, as Saied holds all the powers and controls the state’s resources. The Secretary-General of the Democratic Forum party, Khalil Zaouia, considered that “these are not elections” under the current circumstances.
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