After months of Tunisian opposition, led by the Ennahdha Movement, searching for a “rare bird” to nominate in the presidential elections, 100 political figures from the opposition have called for the nomination of the Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Chebbi, who has been in prison for over a year for this candidacy.

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Chebbi, 66, is a veteran Tunisian opposition figure who did not hesitate to level harsh criticism at the Saied-led authorities before being arrested on February 22, 2023, on suspicions of plotting against the state’s security, targeting prominent political figures.

The signatories of the joint statement said, “We want to nominate Professor Issam Chebbi to defend Tunisians’ right to choose their leaders and to exercise this right in free, fair, and transparent elections, with a plurality of candidacies, not limited to those chosen by the current president to compete with them in a replay of practices that the revolution threw into the dustbin of history, convinced by Professor Chebbi’s political competence and his integrity, patriotism, and cleanliness.”

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Opposition Republican Party leader Wisam Al-Saghir told “Al-Arabiya Independant” that “the nomination of Issam Chebbi by all factions of the Tunisian opposition is very likely, and we are seeking to address the upcoming presidential elections seriously, in a political context marked by confusion after the issuance of arrest warrants against some potential candidates and the arrest of others.”

He added that “the possibility of reaching a consensus on Issam Chebbi as a common opposition candidate is very likely, and his name is seriously considered among other names that could compete with President Qais Saied.”

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The Tunisian opposition is deeply divided, with the “National Salvation Front” including parties led by the Ennahdha Movement, which complicates the question of alliance around a single candidate, especially given the Free Constitutional Party’s refusal to approach the Ennahdha Movement or other parties adopting an Islamic ideology.

Although he led the Republican Party after the January 14, 2011 uprising, Issam Chebbi did not run in the presidential elections in 2014 or 2019, meaning that the 2024 election could be a serious test for the man and his popularity if he chooses to run.

Ennahdha Movement leader Riadh Chaibi confirmed that his party was interested in the presidential elections by supporting a single candidate, adding that “Ennahdha will participate in these elections provided that the authorities give it guarantees, including the release of detainees, including the movement’s leader, Rached Ghannouchi, and leaders Nourreddine Bhiri, Ali Larayedh, among others.”