Summary:

On Friday, 19 July 2024, Tunisian President Kais Saied formally confirmed his intent to seek re-election for a second term in the elections scheduled for 6 October.

                                  [mepr-show if=”loggedout”] Please login or purchase an InBrief membership to view the rest of this report [/mepr-show] [mepr-show if=”loggedin”] 

The announcement of the president’s re-election bid was made during a speech on Facebook which was delivered at Borj El-Khadra which sits at the southernmost tip of Tunisia. Saied said he intentionally chose Borj El-Khadra in order to emphasize that Tunisia is, and will always be, unified. 

The President seized the opportunity to call voters’ attention to potential bribery attempts that could be used to influence their votes. He also pro-actively distanced himself from any efforts to bribe Tunisian citizens to vote for him. 

Saied has ramped up his political messaging and public appearances since his announcement. On 25 July, during a speech to commemorate Republic Day, he said that the fight against the old regime’s conspiracies is not done yet. He also mentioned that unnamed parties in Tunisian politics are cooperating in unspecified ways with Israel, which, the President asserted, qualified them as traitors. 

Outlook: 

The President’s announcement, though certainly not unexpected, was met with some frustration from his critics who highlighted his use of state resources to travel to Borj al-Khadra to make his announcement.  

Others critiqued his use of official government communication channels, including the Facebook page of the Office of the President of Tunisia and national television stations.  

This issue of the sitting President utilizing state resources for his campaign is likely to remain a point of tension throughout the remainder of the election season, though not one likely to significantly detract from the President’s momentum and his likely victory in the October elections. 

[/mepr-show] 

Explore our services or speak with our team of North Africa-based risk experts.