On May 27th, using his own channel as a platform, the owner of the private Tunisian channel Nessma TV announced his intention to stand in November’s presidential elections.
For several months Nabil Karoui has topped opinion polls. He is the first to formally declare his decision, before any of the country’s political parties have announced a candidate.
The announcement comes as the Tunisian broadcasting watchdog, the HAICA, the Haute Autorité Indépendante de la Communication Audiovisuelle, ordered Karoui’s private channel to cease transmitting. On April 25th it had seized Nessma TV’s equipment, forcing it to close down.
Later Nabil Karoui announced Nessma had resumed broadcasting and he filed a complaint against the HAICA. But the court then validated the HAICA’s decision, since Nessma TV has been broadcasting without a license since 2014.
Nessma TV, which includes Berlusconi’s Mediaset group in its capital, is one of the most watched channels in Tunisia.
Sources: https://www.franceinter.fr, https://www.jeuneafrique.com, https://www.mosaiquefm.net
