Tunisia votes Sunday in its third presidential election since the Arab Spring

Tunisia votes Sunday in its third presidential election since the Arab Spring
Almost 10 million Tunisians are set to head to the polls on October 6, 2024 for a vote in which experts say incumbent President Kais Saied is poised for victory amid what many have deemed a rollback in rights and freedoms as a number of his critics are behind bars. (File photo AFP)
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Updated 04 October 2024
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Tunisia votes Sunday in its third presidential election since the Arab Spring

Tunisia votes Sunday in its third presidential election since the Arab Spring
  • Tunisia’s President Kais Saied faces few obstacles to winning another term in the country’s presidential election Sunday because his major opponents have been imprisoned or left off the ballot
  • The presidential election is Tunisia’s third since protests led to the 2011 ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the Arab Spring

TUNIS: With his major opponents imprisoned or left off the ballot, Tunisian President Kais Saied faces few obstacles to winning reelection on Sunday, five years after riding anti-establishment backlash to a first term.
The North African country’s Oct. 6 presidential election is its third since protests led to the 2011 ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — the first autocrat toppled in the Arab Spring uprisings that also overthrew leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
International observers praised the previous two contests as meeting democratic norms. However, a raft of arrests and actions taken by a Saied-appointed election authority have raised questions about whether this year’s race is free and fair. And opposition parties have called for a boycott.
What’s at stake?
Not long ago, Tunisia was hailed as the Arab Spring’s only success story. As coups, counter-revolutions and civil wars convulsed the region, the North African nation enshrined a new democratic constitution and saw its leading civil society groups win the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering political compromise.
But its new leaders were unable to buoy its struggling economy and were plagued by political infighting and episodes of violence and terrorism.
Amid that backdrop, Saied, then 61 and a political outsider, won his first term in 2019. He advanced to a runoff promising to usher in a “New Tunisia” and hand more power to young people and local governments.
This year’s election will offer a window into popular opinion about the trajectory that Tunisia’s fading democracy has taken since Saied took office.
Saied’s supporters appear to have remained loyal to him and his promise to transform Tunisia. But he isn’t affiliated with any political party, and it’s unclear just how deep his support runs among Tunisians.
It’s the first presidential race since Saied upended the country’s politics in July 2021, declaring a state of emergency, sacking his prime minister, suspending the parliament and rewriting Tunisia’s constitution consolidating his own power.
Those actions outraged pro-democracy groups and leading opposition parties, who called them a coup. Yet despite anger from career politicians, voters approved Saied’s new constitution the following year in a low-turnout referendum.
Authorities subsequently began arresting Saied’s critics including journalists, lawyers, politicians and civil society figures, charging them with endangering state security and violating a controversial anti-fake news law that observers argue stifles dissent.
Fewer voters turned out to participate in parliamentary and local elections in 2022 and 2023 amid economic woes and widespread political apathy.
Who’s running?
Many wanted to challenge Saied, but few were able to.
Seventeen potential candidates filed paperwork to run and Tunisia’s election authority approved only three: Saied, Zouhair Maghzaoui and Ayachi Zammel.
Maghzaoui is a veteran politician who has campaigned against Saied’s economic program and recent political arrests. Still, he is loathed by opposition parties for backing Saied’s constitution and earlier moves to consolidate power.
Zammel is a businessman supported by politicians not boycotting the race. During the campaign, he has been sentenced to prison time in four voter fraud cases related to signatures his team gathered to qualify for the ballot.
Others had hoped to run but were prevented. The election authority, known as ISIE, last month dismissed a court ruling ordering it to reinstate three additional challengers.
With many arrested, detained or convicted on charges related to their political activities, Tunisia’s most well-known opposition figures are also not participating.
That includes the 83-year-old leader of Tunisia’s most well organized political party Ennahda, which rose to power after the Arab Spring. Rached Ghannouchi, the Islamist party’s co-founder and Tunisia’s former house speaker, has been imprisoned since last year after criticizing Saied.
The crackdown also includes one of Ghannouchi’s most vocal detractors: Abir Moussi, a right-wing lawmaker known for railing against Islamists and speaking nostalgically for pre-Arab Spring Tunisia. The 49-year-old president of the Free Destourian Party also was imprisoned last year after criticizing Saied.
Other less known politicians who announced plans to run have also since been jailed or sentenced on similar charges.
Opposition groups have called to boycott the race. The National Salvation Front — a coalition of secular and Islamist parties including Ennahda — has denounced the process as a sham and questioned the election’s legitimacy.
What are the other issues?
The country’s economy continues to face major challenges. Despite Saied’s promises to chart a new course for Tunisia, unemployment has steadily increased to one of the region’s highest at 16 percent, with young Tunisians hit particularly hard.
Growth has been slow since the COVID-19 pandemic and Tunisia has remained reliant on multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the European Union. Today, Tunisia owes them more than $9 billion. Apart from agricultural reform, Saied’s overarching economic strategy is unclear.
Negotiations have long been stalled over a $1.9 billion bailout package offered by the International Monetary Fund in 2022. Saied has been unwilling to accept its conditions, which include restructuring indebted state-owned companies and cutting public wages. Some of the IMF’s stipulations — including lifting subsidies for electricity, flour and fuel — would likely be unpopular among Tunisians who rely on their low costs.
Economic analysts say that foreign and local investors are reluctant to invest in Tunisia due to continued political risks and an absence of reassurances.
The dire economic straits have had a two-pronged effect on one of Tunisia’s key political issues: migration. From 2019 to 2023, an increasing number of Tunisians attempted to migrate to Europe without authorization. Meanwhile, Saied’s administration has taken a harsh approach against migrants arriving from sub-Saharan Africa, many who have found themselves stuck in Tunisia while trying to reach Europe.
Saied energized his supporters in early 2023 by accusing migrants of violence and crime and portraying them as part of a plot to change the country’s demography. The anti-migrant rhetoric prompted extreme violence against migrants and a crackdown from authorities. Last year, security forces targeted migrant communities from the coast to the capital with a series of arrests, deportation to the desert and the demolition of tent camps in Tunis and coastal towns.
Bodies continue to wash ashore on Tunisia’s coastline as boats carrying Tunisians and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa manage only to make it a few nautical miles before sinking.
What does it mean overseas?
Tunisia has maintained ties with its traditional Western allies but also forged new partnerships under Saied.
Much like many populist leaders who’ve taken power worldwide, Saied emphasizes sovereignty and freeing Tunisia from what he calls “foreign diktats.” He has insisted that Tunisia won’t become a “border guard” for Europe, which has sought agreements with him to better police the Mediterranean.
Tunisia and Iran lifted visa requirements and in May announced plans to boost trade ties. It has also accepted millions in loans as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative to build hospitals, stadiums and ports.
Yet European countries remain Tunisia’s top trade partners and their leaders have maintained productive ties with Saied, hailing agreements to manage migration as a “model” for the region.
Saied has spoken ardently in support of Palestinians as war has swept the Middle East and opposes moves made to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel.


Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering

Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering
Updated 17 sec ago
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Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering

Israel orders beefed up troops around Gaza as ceasefire shows signs of faltering
JERUSALEM: An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the army to add more troops in and around the Gaza Strip after Hamas threatened to call off the next scheduled release of hostages.
Netanyahu also ordered officials “to prepare for every scenario if Hamas doesn’t release our hostages this Saturday,” according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The official was not clear if Netanyahu’s order referred to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, or just the three scheduled for release on Saturday.
Israel had signaled Monday it planned to reinforce defenses along the Gaza border. The all-scenario plan was announced during a four-hour meeting between Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet that focused on Hamas’ threat, which risks jeopardizing the three-week-old ceasefire.
So far, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of exchanges for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But it said Monday — and reiterated Tuesday — that it planned to delay the next release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire, including by not allowing enough tents and other aid into Gaza.
President Donald Trump has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages aren’t freed by Saturday. Hamas brushed off his threat on Tuesday, doubling down on its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warned that it would only continue releasing hostages if all parties adhered to the ceasefire.
Trump is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
Palestinians and the international community have seethed over Trump’s recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have a right to return.
During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas committed to freeing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce.
But if Israel resumes the war, it will face a drastically different battlefield. After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza in the early stages of the war, Israel allowed many of those displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, posing a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the territory.

Egyptians furious over Trump’s Gaza plan, downplay aid threat

People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
Updated 32 min 48 sec ago
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Egyptians furious over Trump’s Gaza plan, downplay aid threat

People walk past the heavily-damaged Commodore Hotel in western Gaza City, on February 11, 2025, amid current ceasefire deal.
  • Hashtag “on the shoe” — common Egyptian phrase meaning “we could not care less” — began to trend in response to what many saw as intimidation attempt

CAIRO: Egyptians reacted with fury on Tuesday to US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, while downplaying his threat to cut aid to both countries if they refuse.
The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper ran a front-page headline declaring “Egypt urges the world to end historical injustice against the Palestinian people,” while the private daily Al-Masry Al-Youm wrote, “Palestinian anger: Gaza is not for sale.”
On X, the hashtag “on the shoe” — a common Egyptian phrase meaning “we could not care less” — began to trend in response to what many saw as an attempt at intimidation.
The phrase can be traced back to a historic speech by late president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who dismissed US aid threats during Egypt’s wars with Israel.
On Monday, a strongly worded statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry rejected “any compromise” that could infringe on Palestinians’ rights, including to remain on their land.
The statement followed a meeting in Washington between Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty and his US counterpart Marco Rubio.
During a phone call with the Danish prime minister on Tuesday, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is “the only guarantee for achieving lasting peace” in the region.
The Egyptian leader also called for the reconstruction of Gaza “without displacing” its residents, according to a statement from his office.
Trump, speaking on Monday, said the United States could “conceivably” halt assistance to Egypt and Jordan unless they agree to take in Palestinians from Gaza — a proposal Cairo and Amman have repeatedly rejected.
The US provides its regional ally Egypt with around $1.3 billion in military aid annually, making it one of the country’s largest foreign donors.
According to US government data, Egypt received roughly $1.5 billion in both military and economic assistance from the United States last year.
Hussein Haridi, a former diplomat and assistant foreign minister, downplayed the significance of US aid, arguing that it would not sway Egypt’s position on Gaza.
“This small amount (about $200 million) in economic aid will not affect the Egyptian economy,” Haridi told AFP.
“Regardless of its impact, we will not bow to Trump’s threats,” he said.
Haridi also said that Trump had little understanding of “the true character of Egyptians” and the country’s historical role in defending Arab interests and in particular the Palestinian cause.
“We do not care about Trump’s threats. Egypt is fully prepared to confront them and these threats will backfire on US interests in the region.”
“This is not just El-Sisi’s stance or the Egyptian government’s stance — it is the stance of the Egyptian people,” he added.
Gamal Bayoumi, a former diplomat and assistant foreign minister, meanwhile, told AFP that Egypt has made its stance clear: any attempt to force Palestinians out of Gaza “will be considered an act of war.”
Bayoumi added that Egypt was well prepared for any measures Washington might take, including a potential halt to financial assistance.
Among ordinary Egyptians, the Trump plan provoked outrage.
“After bombing and killing them, they now want to displace them?” said Samir Gomaa, a 71-year-old garage owner in Cairo.
“This is Palestinian land. Who in their right mind sells land that isn’t theirs and turns it into a tourist project?,” Gomaa told AFP.
Despite Egypt’s economic struggles, including soaring inflation and mounting debt, many citizens expressed support for El-Sisi’s stance.
“Our president is a hero for saying no, even though we’re struggling with inflation,” said Mohamed Abdel Tawab, 53, a paper trader.
“The Arab world will rebuild Gaza and Egypt will stand firm,” he said.
Since early in the Gaza war, which began in October 2023 with Hamas’s attack on Israel, officials and lawmakers in Egypt have repeatedly warned against any attempts to alter the region’s demographics, seeing it as a national security threat.


Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem

Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem
Updated 52 min 21 sec ago
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Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem

Israel releases two Palestinians after raiding their bookshop in East Jerusalem
  • Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna were released after being detained for selling books related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
  • Palestinian Jerusalem-based writer: “Why is the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ afraid of books?”

LONDON: Israeli authorities released the owners of a well-established Palestinian bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday after detaining them and confiscating their books on Sunday.

Saqi Books, the publisher of writer and bookseller Mahmoud Muna, confirmed that Mahmoud and his cousin Ahmed Muna were released after being detained for selling books related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which Israeli authorities considered “inciting violence.”

The Munas owns The Educational Bookshop, which is 38 years old and has two branches, one of which features a cafe and a small conference room located on the busy Salah Al-Din Street.

Mahmoud, who edited the “Daybreak in Gaza” collection with British filmmaker Matthew Teller last year, also runs the Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel. His family’s two bookshops have become essential stops for foreign journalists, diplomats, intellectuals and peace activists visiting East Jerusalem.

In 2011, they won the Best Library award in Palestine and were recognized as the third-best library in the Middle East by the Lonely Planet Foundation, the Wafa news agency reported.

After his release, Ahmed Muna described his arrest as "brutal and unjust." He said that Israeli authorities had placed both him and Mahmoud under house arrest for five days and prohibited them from entering the bookshop for 20 days.

Mahmoud and Ahmed appeared before an Israeli court on Monday afternoon, attended by EU representatives, including those from France and the UK.

The French Consulate in Jerusalem, which operates the French Cultural Center directly adjacent to the raided bookshop on Salah Al-Din Street, said on Monday afternoon that the Israeli “raid is an attack against freedom of expression. Those pressures should stop now.”

The Jerusalem-based writer Dima Al-Samman told Wafa that Israeli authorities “aim to erase anything related to Palestinian national culture and any manifestation of patriotism” in Jerusalem.

Jameel As-Salhut, another writer based in Jerusalem, wondered: “Why is ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ afraid of books and culture?” He added that despite the Israeli escalation in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, “it is impossible for the Israeli military to succeed in suppressing Palestinian culture in Jerusalem.”

The Educational Bookshop is the third Palestinian bookstore to be raided and closed by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem. Another recent raid occurred at a bookshop inside the Old City of Jerusalem’s Khan Al-Zeit bazaar, and the owner, Hisham Al-Ekramawi, was arrested during the incident.


Houthis ready to launch attacks on Israel if war on Gaza resumes, leader says

Yemeni fighters march during a rally in solidarity with Gaza in Sanaa. (File/AFP)
Yemeni fighters march during a rally in solidarity with Gaza in Sanaa. (File/AFP)
Updated 42 min 42 sec ago
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Houthis ready to launch attacks on Israel if war on Gaza resumes, leader says

Yemeni fighters march during a rally in solidarity with Gaza in Sanaa. (File/AFP)
  • “Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Houthi said

DUBAI: The Houthis are ready to mount attacks on Israel if it resumes its assault on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group’s leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said on Tuesday.
The Houthis had attacked Israeli and other vessels in the Red Sea, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what they said were acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians during Israel’s war with Hamas.
“Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
The Gaza ceasefire deal appears fragile after Hamas said it would stop releasing Israeli hostages over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of the agreement.
In response, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defense.
The Houthis, part of Iran’s anti-Israel and anti-Western regional alliance known as the Axis of Resistance, have also launched missiles and drones toward Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north.


Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers

Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers
Updated 11 February 2025
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Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers

Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers
  • Salam’s government told to focus on reforms that will ‘revive the nation’
  • Joseph Aoun: ‘Our focus will be on reforming and developing the ministries’

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told ministers in the country’s new government that their “loyalty and allegiance must be to the state alone, not to any other entity.”

Speaking after the official group photo in the presidential palace courtyard, Aoun also told the 24 ministers in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government that they “are here to serve the people, not the other way around.”

“The key issue is not just the formation of the government but proving credibility by initiating anti-corruption efforts and carrying out administrative, judicial, and security appointments,” he said.

Aoun urged ministers to focus on urgent issues, primarily the state budget, municipal and local elections, and the Israeli withdrawal on Feb. 18.

During the first government session, Aoun said that ministers should “refrain from directing any criticism toward friendly and brotherly nations,” adding that Lebanon should not be used as a “platform for such criticisms.”

Salam’s government, the first under Aoun’s presidency, does not include direct party members but rather specialists nominated by political parties.

Aoun said “the country is not bankrupt, but the administration is,” highlighting the need to revive the nation through reforms that ministers and the government will work to implement.

“Our focus will be on reforming and developing the ministries in light of the significant international support we have received. The opportunities are available to seize this support, provided we carry out the necessary reforms,” he said.‏

In turn, Salam called on the ministers “to ensure a complete separation between public and private work.”

He added: “To avoid any confusion, ministers must fully dedicate themselves to their governmental duties and step down from any leadership or board positions in commercial companies or banks.”

However, Salam added that “this does not apply to memberships in educational or social organizations that serve the public good.”

Following the meeting, Minister of Information Paul Morcos confirmed that a ministerial committee had been set up to draft a constitutional statement that is expected to be completed within days.

Morcos said that “the prime minister assured the ministers that this is not a time for political bickering, and that there won’t be any obstructions.”

He said that “many ideas are being discussed, and solutions will ultimately be reached.”

A political source said the ministerial statement will “emphasize the need to dismantle the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territories and implement Resolution 1701,” as outlined in the president’s oath speech.

Joe Al-Khoury, the newly appointed industry minister, described the session as “an excellent start.”

Tarek Mitri, deputy prime minister, said that the first meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with drafting the ministerial statement “will be held in the afternoon.”

Salam received a congratulatory phone call from Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE foreign minister, on the formation of the new government.

While the handover process continues between outgoing and incoming ministers, the government must secure the confidence of parliament after presenting the ministerial statement before it can officially begin its work.

In a notable development, the Cassation Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar, received for the first time a memorandum of formal defenses from Judge Tarek Bitar, investigative judge in the Beirut port explosion case, submitted by one of the defendants.

This step has been regarded as a “restoration of the investigation sessions regarding the port to the proper legal procedures, after the former Cassation Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat refrained from accepting any documents from Judge Bitar.”

Bitar resumed his examination of the case last Friday after a hiatus that lasted over three years.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Bitar questioned several defendants, including current and former employees and officers of the customs department, at the beginning of the week.

On Aug. 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut devastated the city’s waterfront, killing more than 230 people and injuring thousands.

However, the investigation into the blast, which included charges against a former prime minister, ministers, and high-ranking officials for administrative negligence, has been suspended since the end of 2021 due to lawsuits filed against Bitar.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement also attempted to intimidate Bitar through warnings from the Beirut Palace of Justice, as well as armed protests demanding his resignation, which escalated into violent clashes known as the Tayouneh Incident.