Tunisia’s opposition says politically motivated arrests and gag orders are chilling election efforts

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Leading opposition parties in Tunisia say politically motivated arrests and gag orders are creating impossible conditions for holding democratic elections later this year. The National Salvation Front is a coalition of secular and Islamist opponents to President Kais Saied. Its members say a government crackdown on opponents has created a climate of fear and made campaign requirements like signature-gathering nearly impossible. For months, many of Tunisia’s leading opposition figures have languished behind bars. Several parties in the coalition had already decided to boycott the election. Critics accuse the president of reversing the country’s path toward democracy after it became a regional beaon of hope.