Tunisian president says he won't run again — sort of
Speculation shrouds Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi's declaration that he will not run for a second term and his call to unfreeze the Nidaa Tounes party membership of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.
TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, 92, recently said he has no desire to run for a second term, opening up speculation about other possible candidates. Not everyone, however, accepts that as his final word on the subject.
“In all honesty, I don’t think I will run for a second term,” he said in the opening speech of the first electoral congress of his Nidaa Tounes party. He added, however, that "it is still too early to say" with certainty if he will run. Essebsi said he would announce his decision "in due time."
The congress was held April 6 in Monastir. Tunisia's presidential elections are slated for Nov. 17 and the post-revolution Tunisian Constitution guarantees Essebsi’s right to run for a second term. In the country's first presidential elections, held in November 2014 after the 2011 overthrow of then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Essebsi beat rival Moncef Marzouki, winning a five-year term with 55.7% of the votes.
During interviews with local and international media, Essebsi always avoids giving a conclusive answer about whether he will participate in the upcoming elections. On March 27, in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, he reiterated his right to run for a second term.
