Joining an already packed election year for the African continent, the Tunisian Independent Electoral Committee (ISIE) has announced that the country’s parliamentary and presidential polls will hold on October 6 and November 10, respectively.

According to a report by Aljazeera.com, the announcement is in line with the country’s constitution, which dictates that legislative polls must hold within two months of parliament’s mandate expiring. This streamlined the date selection to fall between October and early December.

It is important to note that this will be the third national elections held in the country, following the 2011 revolution, which saw the exit of Tunisian leader Zine El Abdine Ben Ali. Also worthy of note is the fact that the poll held in 2014 resulted in the election of the country’s first democratically elected president, Beji Caid Essebsi.

According to the commission’s statement, if a winner is not declared at the end of the presidential poll, a second round will be conducted within two weeks, to help determine a winner.

While the previously mentioned parties have jointly taken leadership of the country through a coalition, internal strains have resulted in poor management of the country’s economy. This has been exemplified by the high number of strikes recorded last year and in January, this year, a high rate of youth unemployment and an inflation rate of 7.5 percent. 

The terrible living condition in the North African country has been heavily criticized by international bodies and donor organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which make donations to the country by way of funds and projects aimed at development.

Tunisia joins other African countries heading to the polls this year, including Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi and Namibia.