Tunisian presidential candidate Nabil Karoui filed a petition Tuesday requesting the postponement of the second round of elections due to be held on October 13, one of his lawyers said, according to a statement issued by his media office.
"We have filed a petition with the administrative court to ask for the postponement of the elections" until Karoui is released so that he can campaign, Nazih Sowei told AFP.
According to the statement issued this evening, the villager "sticks to his right to run in the second round of the presidential elections of 2019 out of respect for the will of the people and voters."
"Rumors about his withdrawal from the presidential race are unfounded, but he refuses to make any statements or dialogues to any party or journalist and media while in prison, in protest against his imprisonment unfairly and for political reasons in addition to the lack of equal opportunities and luck between him and his rival, the second candidate who enjoys Full constitutional and electoral rights. "
| Karoui's wife and several supporters during the legislative election campaign (Reuters) |
Correspondence and clarifications
On September 30, 2019, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) was contacted to ask the villager to enable him to conduct his election campaign by enabling him to move to all states (24 states) during the campaign, and conducting direct dialogues with the media. To postpone the second round until the end of the causes of unequal opportunities. "
"The villager expresses his deep respect for all journalists and all media organizations and regrets that their demands have not been met due to the circumstances mentioned," the statement said.
Karoui was arrested on 23 August on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, but he has not yet been convicted and the court rejected a request for his release.
The media tycoon came in second place in the first round of elections held last month with 15.58% of the vote after his rival, Professor Qais Said, who received 18.4%.