Tunisian Caretaker President Moncef Marzouki on Saturday declared his bid for re-election in a key presidential vote that comes four years after the Tunisian revolution.
"My candidacy is not backed up neither by power nor by dirty money but by the people's support and volunteering," he told reporters submitting his candidacy papers.
Marzouki, also Honourary President of the Congress for the Republic (CPR) Party, said he aims to defend "human rights and the values for which he has fought for three decades" and to guarantee "independence of national decision." He reiterated commitment to protect the economic and social rights of the middle class and marginalised categories.
According to Marzouki and "on the contrary of what the majority think, the greatest danger threatening the democratic experience in Tunisia is dirty money and not terrorism." Born in 1945, Marzouki left the post of CPR President in December 13, 2011, after he was elected president for Tunisia.
Marzouki faces over a dozen of rival candidates including National Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar, a former central bank chief, and one-time premier Beji Caid Essebsi.
The polls, along with parliamentary elections in October, are seen as the final step in Tunisia's transition after more than two decades under strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was toppled in 2011.