Previous protests by the Tunisian opposition to demand the release of political detainees (Al Jazeera)
Tunisia -
Opponents said that the general political climate in Tunisia, characterized by security investigations, prosecutions, and prison sentences against political opponents of President Kais Saied, “in which there are no conditions for fair competition in the race for the upcoming presidential elections,” are accusations rejected by the president’s supporters.
Today, Monday, the former presidential candidate and Secretary-General of the Republican People’s Union Party, Lotfi Al-Maraihi, appeared before the National Guard’s Anti-Information Technology Crimes Squad for investigation.
Al-Maraihi said on social media platforms that the investigation against him was based on expressing his opinion, and indicated that his renewed call for investigation resulted from a political decision by President Saied or those close to him, considering that this comes within the framework of an integrated methodology applied to every personality who has a serious chance of winning. In the presidential elections expected next fall.
At the beginning of last January, the Court of First Instance issued a ruling to imprison Al-Maraihi for 6 months and postpone corporal punishment on the grounds that he was accused of insulting the president, under the penalty of Decree 54 regarding combating crimes related to information and communication systems.
Civil society organizations in Tunisia say that Decree 54 was supposed to combat cybercrimes, but instead it threatens freedom of expression and has turned into a sword drawn over the necks of opponents, journalists, and bloggers, opening the prison door wide open for them.
Opponents accuse President Saied of pursuing his potential rivals in the presidential elections (social networking sites)
Suspicious law
Leader of the opposition Salvation Front, Najib Chebbi, says that the political climate lacks all conditions for free and fair competition, pointing to “the frequency of security investigations, judicial prosecutions, and the throwing of opponents and others in prisons because of this unjust and repressive law.”
Al-Shabi added to Al-Jazeera Net that the goal of pursuing the political opponents of President Kais Saied using the arsenal of legislation, most notably Decree 54, is to create a vacuum in the political scene to open the way for the president in the upcoming elections, saying, "There are no elections if the conditions for freedom are not met."
The veteran opposition critic criticizes the current authority's intention to disrupt the activities of prominent opposition forces such as the National Salvation Front or the Ennahdha Movement, closing their headquarters, and putting their symbols and leaders in prison for more than a year on charges of conspiring against state security, "but without trials or evidence."
He also pointed out that there is a systematic restriction on freedom of the press, pressure on journalists, and the electoral commission’s bias towards the authorities and its tendency to prosecute opponents on the basis of expressing their opinions regarding the course of the elections, saying, “The prevailing climate in Tunisia does not indicate a trend toward free and fair elections.”
For his part, Secretary-General of the Democratic Movement, Nabil Hajji, told Al Jazeera Net that the regime of President Kais Saied is pursuing every person who intends to run for elections, pointing out that a document was leaked some time ago containing the names of a number of election candidates against whom cases have been opened.
Recently, news leaked about the issuance of an international summons issued against the politician Munther Al-Zanaidi as one of those being prosecuted in Tunisia, noting that he had expressed his intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections.
He held ministerial positions during the rule of the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Before that, the names of the journalist Nizar Al-Shaari, the head of the Third Republic Party, Olfa Al-Hamidi, the resigned head of the Afek Tounes Party, Mohamed Al-Fadil Abdel Kafi, and other figures who expressed their intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections, were leaked.
Elections are unlikely
The Secretary-General of the Democratic Movement, Nabil Hajji, says that anyone who opposes the Tunisian president is threatened with imprisonment and security or judicial prosecution simply because something similar to a legal error is found against him, indicating that Decree 54 has become a tool in the hands of the authorities to remove political opponents from the path of President Kais Saied.
Hajji rules out that the presidential elections will be held between the coming months of September and October, as the Election Commission recently announced, or as President Saied called for, saying, “Until now, there is no electoral calendar, no precise dates, and no rules of the game.”
He added, "I do not expect that Qais Saeed will hold the elections on time, according to the constitutional deadlines, because the consequences of his departure from power will be dangerous for him. Whoever carried out a coup, removed judges, and put opponents in prison, will not be satisfied with organizing elections except before confirming his victory in the first round."
Regarding the implications of the continued detention of a number of political activists on charges of conspiring against state security since February 2023 without trial, Nabil Hajji says that it is difficult to logically analyze the state of absurdity that Tunisians are experiencing, except that the president does not accept any voice that disturbs him.
On the other hand, the leader of the Ennahda Movement, Imad Al-Khamiri, said that all the security follow-ups, judicial prosecutions, and prison sentences that occurred against opponents are a negative indicator that clouds the general political climate in the country and affects the integrity and credibility of the upcoming elections.
He added to Al Jazeera Net that the regime struck all the gains brought by the Tunisian revolution in terms of rights and freedoms, especially by denying the right to political action, closing the headquarters of the Ennahda Movement and the Salvation Front, and throwing opposition figures in prison, especially potential candidates for the elections.
Supporters of President Saeed believe that he enjoys wide popularity, accusing some of his opponents of involvement in crimes (social networking sites)
False accusations
On the other hand, supporters of President Kais Saied say that the accusations directed against him by the opposition are aimed at distorting him, considering that they have lost their positions as parties that were influential in power during the past decade, accusing the opposition of crying in order to regain their positions.
Some of the president's supporters cite the results of a recently published opinion poll that showed President Kais Saied topping the list of potential candidates for the upcoming presidential election race by a wide margin, noting that the president enjoys wide popularity among a wide segment of society, especially young people.
Saeed's supporters stress his cleanliness, integrity, and love for the homeland and Tunisians, accusing some names in the opposition of being involved in corruption cases and terrorist crimes.
They stressed that the Tunisian judiciary alone has the final say in these complex cases.
In the fall of 2019, President Kais Saied won the second round of the presidential elections by a large margin against the businessman, Nabil Karoui, who is being prosecuted on money laundering charges.
The president's term in Tunisia lasts for 5 years.
On July 25, 2021, after a stifling political crisis, President Saied took exceptional measures, according to which he dismissed the government of Hisham Mechichi, dissolved Parliament and dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council. He also changed the constitution and abolished the parliamentary system and replaced it with a presidential system in which he enjoyed broad powers.
Source: Al Jazeera