The presidential election in Tunisia is scheduled for October 6, and President Kais Saied is expected to run for a second term despite the fact that at least one contender is currently in jail and others are being prosecuted.
Saied, who was elected president in 2019, hasn't formally declared his candidacy yet, but he said last year that he wouldn't hand power to anybody he deemed to be a non-patriot.
The opposition claims that unless jailed politicians are released and the media is free to operate without interference from the government, no fair or credible elections can be held.
The Free Constitutional Party and Ennahda, two opposition groups, claim to have witnessed measures by the government to keep Saied's primary opponents out of the poll.
Saied chastised "politicians' jostling for office" earlier this year, claiming that people who had previously abstained from parliamentary elections now want his position.
Opinion polls indicate that Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a likely contender, is well-liked and has been incarcerated since last year due to allegations of endangering public safety.
According to Moussi's party, she was put in jail to keep her out of the election and prevent a formidable opponent. This is refuted by the authorities.
Safi Saeed, Abd Ellatif Mekki, Lotfi Maraihi, and Nizar Chaari are among the other candidates who are being prosecuted for alleged offenses like money laundering and fraud.
Prosecution is also pending against well-known French candidate Mondher Znaidi, who is suspected of financial corruption.
In a move that the opposition referred to as a coup, Saied took nearly total control of the country in 2021, disbanded the parliament, and imposed an absolute government. Saied claimed that in order to put a stop to years of widespread corruption within the political elite, his actions were both legal and necessary.
During the beginning of the year, notable opponents of the president have been jailed on suspicion of plotting against state security. Those detained included politicians, businesspeople, and members of the media.