Tunisia: Nabil Karoui requests the postponement of the presidential elections second round
Candidate Nabil Karoui is asking for the postponement of the presidential election second round scheduled for 13 october. The announcement was made on tuesday by his campaign team through a press release made public.
Kais Saeid and Nabil Karoui are expected to meet on sunday 13 october for the second round of the anticipated presidential election. Still deprived of his freedom, the president of the party at the “Heart of Tunisia“, through his staff, demanded the postponement of this final phase. “Mr. Nabil Karoui insists on his right to run in the second round of the early presidential election […] out of respect[for] the will of the people and the voters who elected him,” the statement said. “Rumours about his withdrawal from the presidential race are false and unfounded,” he said.
This information was later confirmed by his lawyer Nazih Souei at the AFP. “We have filed a call with the administrative court to request a postponement of the election”until Mr. Karoui is released to campaign.
The Administrative Court is expected to rule on this request very soon. Arrested since 23 August, the media tycoon is suspected of money laundering and tax evasion. His requests for release have been rejected four times. Defence organisations and the European Union Monitoring Mission have repeatedly called for his release in order to ensure his fair participation in the process.
