Tunisia: Former president announces election bid

By Yousra Ounas

TUNIS (AA) - Tunisia's former president announced on Tuesday his intention to run for the office in early elections scheduled for next fall.

Moncef Marzouki said in a radio interview that he had been nominated as president by ten deputies in parliament and that he would submit his candidacy in the coming days.

The week-long application phase to run on the country's presidential ballot began on Friday, with Electoral Commission scheduled to announce the final candidate list on Aug. 14.

Earlier, the "Another Tunisia" alliance announced its collective support for the nomination of Marzouki, who was president from 2011 to 2014.

Another Tunisia is an alliance between the two opposition movements, Marzouki's "Al-Irada Movement" and "Wafa Movement", launched last May to run in the legislative and presidential elections.

The coalition said in a statement on Tuesday that the components of the two groups as well as a number of independent members, decided to support the nomination of Marzouki.

Another Tunisia also stated its willingness to coordinate and cooperate with various political actors and individuals who supported Marzouki's nomination.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara