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Tunisian President Saied Files Paperwork to Run in October's Election

A supporter of Tunisian President Kais Saied hold his image as he stands under a huge national flag, during a rally along the Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, on July 25, 2024, as the nation celebrates the 67th anniversary of foundation of the republic. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
A supporter of Tunisian President Kais Saied hold his image as he stands under a huge national flag, during a rally along the Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, on July 25, 2024, as the nation celebrates the 67th anniversary of foundation of the republic. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
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Tunisian President Saied Files Paperwork to Run in October's Election

A supporter of Tunisian President Kais Saied hold his image as he stands under a huge national flag, during a rally along the Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, on July 25, 2024, as the nation celebrates the 67th anniversary of foundation of the republic. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
A supporter of Tunisian President Kais Saied hold his image as he stands under a huge national flag, during a rally along the Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, on July 25, 2024, as the nation celebrates the 67th anniversary of foundation of the republic. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

Tunisian President Kais Saied filed papers Monday to run in the October presidential election, where he is expected to face little competition.
Saied submitted 242,224 signatures from registered voters to qualify for inclusion on the Oct. 6 ballot in the North African nation, The Associated Press said.
Four other candidates have gathered signatures to run including Abir Moussi, a right-wing critic of the president who has been behind bars since she staged a protest outside his residence last year. Her attorneys said they filed her paperwork on Sunday.
Tunisia will publish a complete list of candidates by Saturday. The Independent High Authority for Elections requires candidates gather 10,000 signatures to appear on ballots.
Political participation has waned in Tunisia since the country's longtime Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in 2011. Last year's local elections saw a turnout of 11%.

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Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
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Italy Says Suspending EU Sanctions on Syria Could Help Encourage Transition

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)

Italy's foreign minister says a moratorium on European Union sanctions on Syria could help encourage the country's transition after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Syria on Friday and expressed Italy’s keen interest in helping Syria recover from civil war, rebuild its broken economy and help stabilize the region.

Tajani, who met with Syria’s new de facto leaders, including Ahmed al-Sharaa, said a stable Syria and Lebanon was of strategic and commercial importance to Europe.

He said the fall of Assad's government, as well as the Lebanon parliament's vote on Thursday to elect army commander Joseph Aoun as president, were signs of optimism for Middle East stability.

He said Italy wanted to play a leading role in Syria’s recovery and serve as a bridge between Damascus and the EU, particularly given Italy’s commercial and strategic interests in the Mediterranean.

“The Mediterranean can no longer just be a sea of death, a cemetery of migrants but a sea of commerce a sea of development,” he said.

Tajani later traveled to Lebanon and met with Aoun. Italy has long played a sizeable role in the UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon, UNIFIL.

On the eve of his visit, Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and officials from Britain, France and Germany as well as the EU foreign policy chief. He said that meeting of the so-called Quintet on Syria was key to begin the discussion about a change to the EU sanctions.

“The sanctions were against the Assad regime. If the situation has changed, we have to change our choices,” Tajani said.