TUNIS: Tunisian opposition parties, presidential candidates and human rights groups have accused the authorities of using “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation in order to ensure the re-election of President Kais Saied in a vote set for Oct. 6.
Saied announced on July 19 that he would seek another five-year term. Elected in 2019, Saied dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree in a move the opposition described as a coup. He has said he will not hand over power to what he calls “non-patriots.”
As an Aug. 6 deadline for registering as a presidential candidate looms, 11 opposition figures who hope to run against Saied issued a joint statement this week criticizing the authorities.
“The violations have affected most of the serious candidates to the point that they appear to indicate a desire to exclude them (from the election) and restrict them in order to make way for a specific candidate,” they said in the joint statement.
None of the 11 opposition candidates have yet obtained a document certifying that they have no criminal record — a new condition — which will then allow them to register.
The Election Commission spokesperson said the interior ministry would contact the candidates to provide them with the necessary document, without saying when this would happen. The Commission also rejected the accusations of bias.
’Climate of intimidation’
In a separate statement on Thursday, 17 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Human Rights League, and six opposition parties criticized government control of public media, the judiciary, and the Elections Commission.
“A climate of intimidation of opponents and journalists through the use of the judiciary and the Election Commission to serve the interests of the authorities and the lack of equal opportunities does not provide guarantees for free and fair elections,” they said in the statement.
One of the 11 presidential candidates, Nizar Chaari, said his campaign manager and a volunteer member had been arrested and that police had confiscated the signatures he had received from the public endorsing his candidacy.
The Public Prosecutor’s office said the two people had been arrested over their seizure of a database and the forging of endorsements, accusations that Chaari’s campaign deny.
Earlier this month, a court sentenced another candidate, opposition party leader Lotfi Mraihi, to eight months in prison on a charge of vote buying. It also imposed a lifetime ban on Mraihi, one of Saied’s most prominent critics, running in presidential elections.
Also this month, a judge barred candidate Abd Ellatif Mekki from appearing in the media or traveling around the country.
The head of the Freedoms Committee in Parliament, Hela Ben Jaballah, called in a statement for the lifting of restrictions on candidates. She also urged the Election Commission to perform its role in a neutral way, something it says it already does.
Tunisian presidential candidates complain of restrictions and intimidation
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Tunisian presidential candidates complain of restrictions and intimidation
- Saied announced on July 19 that he would seek another five-year term
Morocco to secure 60% of water needs from desalination
- Rabat boosts investment in facilities powered by renewable energy, minister tells Marrakech conference
MARRAKECH: Morocco, which has endured seven years of drought, plans to supply 60 percent of its drinking water from treated seawater by 2030, up from 25 percent, its water minister said, as Rabat accelerates investment in desalination plants powered by renewable energy.
The push is crucial to ensure a steady water supply and to maintain Morocco’s status as a key producer and exporter of fresh produce amid climate change, as droughts have dried up some of its main water reservoirs and depleted underground resources.
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The plant will have a capacity of 350 million cubic meters and will supply urban centers in Morocco’s food basket as well as farmlands.
The North African country plans to produce 1.7 billion cubic meters of desalinated water annually by 2030 from projects under construction and plants for which it will hold tenders starting next year, Nizar Baraka said on the sidelines of the World Water Congress in Marrakech.
The largest plant — with planned investment of about 10 billion dirhams ($1 billion) — will be located near Tiznit, 615 km south of the capital Rabat.
It will have a capacity of 350 million cubic meters and will supply urban centers in the country’s food basket as well as farmlands, he said.
“Studies are underway as part of preparations for the plant’s tender, to be announced by mid next year,” Baraka said.
Besides the northern cities of Nador and Tangier, plants are also planned in Rabat in partnership with the French group Veolia, as well as in Tantan, where the government is considering building a port dedicated to green hydrogen and ammonia exports, Baraka said.
Morocco currently operates 17 desalination plants producing 345 million cubic meters annually.
Four additional plants are under construction with a combined capacity of 540 million cubic meters, scheduled to be ready by 2027, including a major facility in Casablanca, the country’s most populous city.
“All new desalination plants will be powered by renewable energy,” Baraka said.
Morocco has also faced rising temperatures and worsening evaporation in dams.
To counter this, it installed floating solar panels on a dam near Tangier to reduce evaporation, which accounts for 30 percent of the country’s surface water loss, according to the minister.
“The experiment will be expanded to include dams in the south and mountainous regions,” Baraka said.
