Kais Saied Runs for Re-election in Tunisia

Tunisia's President Kais Saied is poised for re-election on Sunday, with expectations of a win amid significant political repression. The electoral commission allowed only two challengers on the ballot, one of whom, Ayachi Zammel, was imprisoned just days before the vote. Since Saied's rise to power in 2019, he has curtailed democracy by suspending parliament and centralizing authority, leading critics to label him an autocrat. The election is largely seen as a referendum on Saied's leadership, with the largest opposition party, Ennahda, reporting unprecedented levels of arrests among its members. Protests in Tunis have erupted demanding free and fair elections as allegations of candidate exclusions based on legal manipulations surface. With approximately 9.7 million voters expected, this election marks a critical juncture for Tunisia's democratic aspirations that emerged after the Arab Spring.