While the economy is slowly gaining traction, all eyes are now on the presidential election taking place on October 6. On September 2, Tunisia's Higher Independent Electoral Authority (Isie) announced that it was ignoring a court order and rejecting the candidacies of three candidates, leaving only three (of whom one was arrested on the same day and another on September 18). The development supports our baseline outlook of an easy landslide victory for the incumbent and ongoing economic stagnation. To ensure loyalty before the election, President Kaïs Saïed of Tunisia appointed 19 new ministers and three new secretaries of state (junior ministers) on August 25.
Tunisia: Economy muddles along as election takes centre stage