Tunisia’s Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, leader of the secular Tahya Tounes party, submitted today (Friday) his candidacy for the presidential election expected to take place in September The Sept. 15 vote comes after Beji Caid Essebsi, the first president to be democratically elected in Tunisia after the 2011 uprising, died last month aged 92. One day before closing the doors for candidates to be part of the presidential race, their number amounted to more than 45, most of them independents. Tunisia’s Independent High Electoral Authority (ISIE) received 29 applications over the first five days from the beginning of the race on August 2 and 11 applications on the sixth day. Defense Minister Abdul Karim al-Zubaidi resigned from his post after submitting his candidacy to run for the presidential elections on Wednesday. However, Government spokesman Iyad Dahmani confirmed in a press statement that Chahed’s candidacy doesn’t necessarily mean he must resign from his current post once and for all. Dahmani pointed out that the premier shall delegate his powers to a minister in the same government. “It is impossible to form a government during this sensitive period, which is full of political deadlines,” he stressed. The spokesman accused supporters of Chahed’s resignation of “attempting to overthrow the entire government and disrupt the presidential and parliamentary elections” in the country. Local political sources have indicated that Chahed will delegate Kamel Morjane, former head of the Initiative Party who has fully merged with “Long live Tunisia” party. They explained that his move aims at satisfying those who have disapproved the unified electoral lists, whose members will run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 6. Ennahda Party has nominated its Vice President Abdel Fattah Mourou to run in the presidential elections for the first time since the country transitioned to democracy in 2011. “You will choose a leader and a father for you...Someone who is not only passionate about his people but also wants to establish the state, preserve the law and help applying it to everyone,” Mourou addressed people, stressing that this could only be achieved with people’s help and understanding. It is noteworthy that Ennahda Party had participated in 1989’s parliamentary elections, which followed the rise of former President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali to power. It accused the state back then with vote rigging and excluding them from the political scene. During 23 years in power, the former regime didn’t allow members of the country’s opposition parties to participate in the presidential elections and compete with it.