The head of Tunisia’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Farouk Bouasker, announced at a press conference on Thursday evening that the acceptance of candidacies for the presidential elections will begin on 29 July and continue until 6 August.

Bouasker added that the commission would decide on the candidates’ files by Saturday 10 August at the latest, and that the list of initially accepted candidates would be announced by Sunday 11 August at the latest.

The head of the electoral commission explained that the withdrawal requests of candidates will be accepted on 2 September, after which the commission will announce the final list of accepted candidates.

On Tuesday evening, Tunisian President Kais Saied called on voters to go to the polls on 6 October.