TUNIS, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nabil Karoui, a candidate for Tunisian presidential election, has started a hunger strike inside the prison, the private television channel Nessma TV reported Thursday.
Karoui had started the hunger strike to demand his right to vote, saying that his imprisonment prevented him from campaigning and exercising his right to vote, according to Nessma TV, which is owned by the candidate.
"I do not want to deepen your feelings of pain and anger over the situation of our country these days by trying to sabotage the electoral process," Nessma TV quoted Karoui as saying.
"I am deprived of my constitutional rights and prevented from coming into direct contact with the people," he said.
Karoui is one of the main figures in Tunisian politics. He is running for the country's presidential election scheduled on Sept. 15.
On Aug. 23, the Tunisian Financial Judiciary Pole issued two warrants for the detention of Karoui and his brother Ghazi Karoui for suspected tax evasion and money laundering.
There are 26 candidates running for the presidential election and more than 7 million voters have already registered at the the Independent High Authority for Elections.
