Tunis (AFP)

Twenty-six candidacies to the Tunisian presidential election of September 15 have been validated and 71 rejected, after a preliminary examination of the cases, announced Wednesday the body responsible for elections in Tunisia (Isie).

Persons whose file has been rejected may appeal within 48 hours before the administrative court, which will be called to decide by August 31, when the final list of candidates must be published, added during a meeting. press conference, Nabil Baffoun, president of Isie.

Among the rejected candidates is that of Mounir Baatour, who stands as an advocate for LGBTQ rights, although it is disputed within this community. The candidacy of this lawyer openly claiming his homosexuality would have been a first in the history of the country and the Arab world.

"The case of Mounir Baatour has not been validated because he did not collect the 10,000 signatures of registered voters", as is required, told the spokesperson of Isie, Hassna Ben Slimane.

Each candidate must have the sponsorship of 10 deputies, 40 mayors or 10,000 registered voters in at least 10 constituencies.

Other applications were rejected for lack of financial guarantee, the threshold having been fixed at 10,000 dinars (about 3,200 euros), added Mr. Ben Slimane.

Only two women are included in the list of 26 validated candidacies: the former Minister of Tourism, Salma Elloumi, and Abir Moussi, a pasionaria of the regime of the deposed dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and president of the Free Destour Party.

- Election anticipated -

The candidacy of the businessman and media magnate, Nabil Karoui, was also selected.

Mr. Karoui, a controversial figure, is presented as a major opponent for Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, a candidate of the Tahya Tounes party, recently founded.

Has also been validated the candidacy of Abdelfattah Mourou, the Islamic-inspired party Ennahdha. Mr. Mourou temporarily occupies the presidency of parliament in place of Mohamed Ennaceur, who became interim head of state after the death on 25 July of Beji Caid Essebsi.

Defense Minister Abdelkrim Zbidi will also be on the starting line, and he may prove to be a major candidate.

The first round of the presidential election will take place on September 15, the official campaign to be held between 2 and 13. The results of this first round will be announced on September 17, according to the electoral calendar of Isie.

The date of the second round is not yet determined.

Expected at the end of the year, this election was anticipated following the death of Mr. Caïd Essebsi, who in 2014 was the first democratically elected president by universal suffrage in Tunisia's modern history.

This pioneer country of the 2011 Arab Spring has so far managed to continue on the path of democratization.

This presidential election and the legislative elections scheduled for the autumn will, however, be crucial for the future of this young democracy, which still faces major economic and social difficulties.

© 2019 AFP