Tunisia votes: Lack of election observers reflects government crackdown

Tunisia's presidential vote this Sunday is being held under a growing crackdown on rights groups, AFP reports. Election observers from I Watch and Mourakiboun have been barred from monitoring, with authorities accusing them of receiving foreign funds, a claim the watchdogs deny. These groups have monitored elections since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, which led to the ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and brought about the Arab Spring. 

Under President Kais Saied, who was elected in 2019, Tunisia has seen increasing authoritarianism. Saied dissolved parliament, jailed opposition figures, and has sidelined trade unions and civil society organizations. Critics, including the Tunisian League for Human Rights and international groups, warn that the election will neither be democratic nor transparent. Many critics of the regime see Saied's consolidation of power is part of a repressive shift that could dismantle Tunisia’s democratic gains, with widespread fears of an emerging dictatorship.