Lotfi Mraihi, the head of Tunisia’s Republican Union Party and a prominent critic of President Kais Saied, has been arrested by police on suspicion of money laundering as he prepares to run in the upcoming presidential election set for October.
Mraihi was detained late on Wednesday, according to reports from politicians and local media.
A spokesperson for the Tunis court announced earlier this week that Mraihi is facing charges of money laundering and opening bank accounts abroad without the necessary authorization from the central bank.
This arrest comes as opposition parties, many of whose leaders are currently imprisoned, accuse President Saied’s government of using the judiciary to target and eliminate his rivals in the 2024 elections, paving the way for his second term.
President Saied, elected in 2019, has not officially declared his candidacy for the election on October 6, but he is widely expected to seek re-election. Last year, he stated he would not hand over power to what he referred to as non-patriots.
Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party and another significant candidate, has been imprisoned since last year on charges of harming public security.
Her party alleges that her imprisonment was a strategic move to remove her from the electoral race, a claim denied by authorities. Other potential candidates, including Safi Saeed, Nizar Chaari, and Abd Ellatif Mekki, are also facing prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Mondher Znaidi, a notable potential candidate residing in France, is under investigation for financial corruption.
The opposition argues that fair and credible elections are impossible as long as imprisoned politicians remain behind bars and the media operates under governmental pressure.
In 2021, President Saied seized almost all powers, dissolved parliament, and began ruling by decree, actions that the opposition labelled a coup. Saied defended his actions as legal and necessary to combat years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
Since last year, many prominent opponents, including businessmen, media figures, and politicians, have been detained on charges of conspiring against state security.
