Tunisians head to the polls to vote in presidential election, opposition calls for boycott

Tunisians head to the polls today to vote in the country's presidential election, that the opposition has said is neither free nor fair.

President Kais Saied is seeking a second term in office, amid criticism that he has tried to limit the number of candidates running against him.

Only two other candidates received the green light from the electoral commission to run against Saied, and the rest are either in jail or have been barred from the ballot.

Elected in 2019 with popular support, Saied vowed to fix the country’s economy.

But criticism against him has since grown.

After coming to power, Saied sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament, altering the constitution to bolster his own power.

Some of Saied's critics, including lawyers, journalists and activists, have since been arrested by authorities, who charged them with breaking an anti-fake news law that observers insist is aimed at silencing dissent.

With the opposition calling for a boycott of the election, the turnout of this year remains to be seen. Almost 10 million Tunisians are eligible to cast their ballots.