Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

2 Candidates Withdraw from Tunisian Presidential Election Race


Sat 14 Sep 2019 | 02:40 PM
Basant ahmed

Mohsen Marzouk, founder of Machrou’ Tounes party and Salim Riahi, head of Tunisian Amal Movement, withdrew on Saturday from the Tunisian presidential election race.

They also announced their support for independent candidate Abdul Karim al-Zubaidi.

Tunisia’s presidential election is set to kick off on Sunday, more than 7 million Tunisian voters will go to the polling stations to select  a new president from among 24 candidates.

1,200 employees were assigned by Tunisia’s Independent Higher Authority for Elections (ISIE) to monitor the electoral campaigns.

The first round of the presidential election was scheduled on November 17, but due to the death of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on July 25, the ISIE decided to postpone it.

Candidates who stands for presidential election include:

Youssef Chahed

Many analysts expected that Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, 43, will run in the presidential election. He would receive considerable support from several different political currents.

Chahed is the leader of the newly-formed party, Tahya Tounes “Long Live Tunisia”, which he founded recently after splitting from ruling Nidaa Tounes party, led by late President Beji Caid Essebsi.

Moncef Marzouki

One of the prominent candidates is former president Moncef Marzouki who took over as president of Tunisia in the wake of Jasmine Revolution in 2011, and continued in office until he was defeated by Essebsi in the run-off elections in 2014.

Marzouki had been elected by means of an interim constitutional assembly in 2011, following Ben Ali’s fall during popular uprisings.