By Yemna Selmi
TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - The Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia accepted the files of three candidates late Saturday for the Oct. 6 presidential election.
Chairman of the Authority, Farouk Bouasker, said at a news conference in the national capital of Tunis that "the authority received, until the deadline for submitting candidacies on Aug. 5, 17 presidential candidacy files during the submission period."
"The preliminarily accepted candidates for the election are: Zouhair Magzaoui (Secretary-General of the People's Movement/Nasserist Nationalist), Kais Saied (incumbent) and Ayashi Zammal (President of the Azimoun Movement and former deputy in the dissolved parliament),” he said.
Bouasker pointed out that 14 files were rejected because of “a lack of the required endorsements, or because they did not meet legal requirements and had deficiencies in the candidacy files."
The period for accepting candidacy files began July 29, according to a previous statement by Bouasker.
The National Salvation Front, the largest opposition coalition, announced in April that it would not participate in the elections due to the "lack of competitive conditions."
Authorities, on the other hand, claim that the elections meet the conditions of integrity, transparency and fair competition.
Saied took the oath of office as president of Tunisia on Oct. 23, 2019, succeeding late President Beji Caid Essebsi.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala