Al Jomhouri withdraws candidacy of Issam Chebbi from presidential race

AL Jomhouri (Republican Party) on Thursday announced that it has withdrawn the candidacy of its Secretary General Issam Chebbi from the presidential race (October 6). Spokesman for the party Wissam Saghir confirmed at a press conference held in Tunis, that the party has decided to 'withdraw' its candidate Issam Chebbi from the presidential race, justifying this decision by 'a negative assessment of the pre-election process and by the restrictions suffered by several candidates who have announced their intention to run.' He said the party will continue to consult with its structures to make the appropriate decision on whether or not to nominate another consensus figure. The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) had refused to provide the lawyer of Issam Chebbi, who is in custody, with the candidacy form and requested a special power of attorney, Saghir pointed out. Chebbi's lawyer in the so-called "conspiracy against state security" case Youssef el Beji explained that the Ariana regional electora l authority had rejected his request for a nomination form "without providing a written answer that could be used for an appeal if need be." Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse