FEARS OF VOTE-RIGGING

Tunisian President Kais Saied said he opposes the presence of foreign election observers, sparking fears of vote rigging as the country gears up for a referendum and legislative polls later this year.

“We are not an occupied country to send observers to,” he said.

Mr Saied last year sacked the government and suspended parliament, prompting fears for democratic gains a decade after Tunisia’s revolution which sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

He has since taken control of the judiciary and on April 22 gave himself powers to name three out of seven members of the electoral commission, including its chief.

Tunisians are to vote on constitutional reforms on July 25 and elect a new parliament on December 17. Mr Saied’s critics say he wants to create a tame electoral commission ahead of those ballots.