Third Republic party appeals to AC to annul ISIE’s decision on candidacies

Tunis: The Third Republic party announced on Monday that it had appealed to the Administrative Court (AC) to request the annulment of regulatory decision n°544 issued by the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) regarding the new eligibility criteria for the presidential election. The party considers, in a statement, that this decision excludes the participation of Tunisian youth and Tunisians abroad in the presidential election, in blatant violation of the electoral law and the Constitution. Through this challenge, the party intends to defend the right of party president Olfa Hamdi, who had announced her intention to stand as a candidate in the presidential election, according to the same source. Regulatory Decision No. 544 dated July 4, 2024, amending and supplementing Decision 18-2024, laid down new conditions of eligibility for the presidential election by adding new articles and amending others. Candidates are now required to have exclusive nationality, to have been born of Tunisian parents and grandparents and to be 40 years old on the day they submit their candidacy, in compliance with Article 89 of the Constitution. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse