Before Tunisian voters have their say in the presidential election on Oct. 6, state institutions have already had their say. The security services, judicial authorities, and the High Independent Electoral Authority (ISIE) have either obstructed or officially barred over a dozen potential candidates from running.

Protests at the weekend capped off a week in which the North African country’s largest opposition party, Ennahda, said its senior members had been arrested at a scale not previously seen.