This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
Published on October 5, 2019
Tunisia's presidential candidate, Kais Saied, has decided not to campaign on moral grounds to avoid any doubt over the fairness between him and his rival, Nabil Karoui.
According to Saied's Facebook post, he will not personally campaign on moral grounds to maintain fairness between the candidates.
His decision comes as Karoui remains under investigation for money laundering and tax evasion since 2017 and was arrested on August 23, just a week before the campaigning started for the first round presidential vote.
With the run-off vote scheduled for October 13, Tunisia's president, Mohamed Ennaceur, has warned that Karoui's detention could have serious and dangerous repercussions on the electoral process.
The United Nations has called for "peaceful and transparent" elections, while Karoui accuses his political rivals of politicising the judicial process.
