Interim Tunisian President Mohamed Nasser said Friday that the status of jailed presidential candidate Nabil Karoui and his inability to communicate with his voters a week before the run-off would have serious repercussions on the credibility of the elections and on Tunisia's image.
In the first comment on the controversial issue, Nasser said he would continue to make efforts to find what he described as an "honorable solution" to ensure Karoui's right to communicate with his constituents, saying the situation was "strange" and sparking interest and criticism in Tunisia and abroad.
The villager has been behind bars for more than a month, and came second in the first round of presidential elections while in prison, to compete with constitutional law professor Qais Said in the runoff on October 13.
"There is a problem that one of the two candidates is in prison and does not have the freedom to address the voters, a strange situation, which is of interest and criticism in Tunisia and abroad," Nasser said in a speech broadcast on state television.
"We have been in contact with the minister of justice and the head of the election commission," he said. "We will continue our efforts to find an honorable solution to overcome the unusual situation.
The villager was arrested weeks before the elections on suspicion of tax evasion and money laundering, in a case filed by the local organization "I am attentive" three years ago.
The local and foreign organizations said that the villager did not have an equal opportunity in the first round, and was unable to go to his constituents in television debates, calling for giving him the right to contact his voters.