Mraihi joins a growing list of President Saied’s political opponents who are in prison or facing legal proceedings.
The head of Tunisia’s Republican Union Party, Lotfi Mraihi, who announced his intention to run in the presidential elections scheduled for October, was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
According to reports from politicians and local media, the arrest took place on Wednesday in the province of Nabeul, in northeastern Tunisia.
A Tunis court spokesman said earlier this week that Mraihi, one of President Kais Saied’s most prominent critics, faces charges of money laundering and opening bank accounts abroad without a license from the central bank.
Mraihi’s arrest comes as opposition parties, many of whom are in prison, accuse Saied’s government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to track down Saied’s rivals in the upcoming elections and pave the way for him to win a second mandate.
Elected president in 2019, Saied has not officially announced his candidacy for the elections, scheduled for October 6, but is expected to seek a second term. He said last year that he would not hand over power to what he called unpatriots.
Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party and prominent candidate, has been in prison since last year on charges of harming public security.
Moussi’s party said she was arrested to remove her from the presidential race, a claim denied by authorities.
Other candidates – including Safi Saeed, Nizar Chaari and Abd Ellatif Mekki – face legal action over charges including fraud and money laundering.
Mondher Znaidi, a prominent potential candidate living in France, also faces prosecution on suspicion of corruption.
The opposition claims fair and credible elections cannot be held unless jailed politicians are released and the media can work without pressure from the government.
In 2021, Saied seized almost all powers, dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, a move the opposition describes as a coup d’état.
He oversaw the drafting of a new constitution, approved by referendum in 2022, which established a presidential system and weakened parliament.
Saied said his measures were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
Prominent opponents of the president have been detained since last year on charges of conspiring against state security, in a repression that included businesspeople, media figures and politicians.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
