TUNIS, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister YoussefChahed will temporarily delegate his powers to Public ServiceMinister Kamal Morjane to focus on his candidacy for thepresidency and to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates,he said on Thursday.The Sept. 15 vote follows the death at age 92 last month ofBeji Caid Essebsi, the first president to be democraticallyelected in Tunisia after the popular uprising of 2011.
Chahed is competing in a race crowded with prominentfigures, including the current defence minister Abd El karimZbidi, the vice president of Ennahda Islamist party Abdel FattahMourou and former prime minister Mehdi Jomaa.
Former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki and Nabil Karoui,a businessman and owner of the private channel Nessma TV, willalso stand.
Chahed, Mourou and Zbidi are likely frontrunners.
"In order to ensure the transparency of the presidentialelection and the equal opportunities between all candidates, Iam temporarily delegating my powers until the end of thecampaign for the Minister of Public Service, Kamal Morjane.",Chahed said in a speech.The election campaign runs from Sept. 1 to 13.Tunisia's president controls foreign and defence policy,governing alongside a prime minister chosen by parliament whohas authority over domestic affairs.(Reporting by Tarek AmaraEditing by Alexandra Hudson)