Newswise — WASHINGTON(October 4, 2024) – Tunisia will vote in its third presidential election on Sunday.

The race is between sitting president Kais Saied, left-wing nationalist Zouhair Magzhaoui and leader of the liberal Azimoun party, Ayachi Zammel. 

For more context on the matter, please consider Ambassador (ret) Gordon Gray, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the George Washington University. Prior to joining the Elliott School of International Affairs, Gray served in the U.S. government for 35 years. From 2005-2008, Gray was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs where he was responsible for promoting U.S. interests in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. 

Gray says, “Heavy-handed tactics by the incumbent (imprisoning some opponents and disqualifying others) mean they will be far from free and fair.” Gray was in Tunisia for the first truly free and fair election and has continued to follow Tunisian politics closely since concluding his tour there.

If you would like to speak with Ambassador (ret) Gordan Gray, please contact Media Relations Specialist Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].

 

-GW-