Tunisia’s electoral body approved three presidential candidates for the October 6 election, including current President Kais Saied, despite disregarding three other potential candidates despite court rulings in their favour.
The three candidates, who had previously won appeals at the Administrative Court against their disqualification by the High Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE), were deemed to have failed to secure enough endorsements required for candidacy. This requirement resulted in the rejection of 14 hopefuls.
The ISIE stated that the initial list of candidates is final and cannot be appealed, citing the administrative court’s failure to officially communicate its decisions within the 48-hour deadline set by law. As a result, the list announced on August 10 remains unchanged.
Presently, former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel are poised to challenge Saied, the leading candidate in the election.
However, according to his team, Zammel was arrested on Monday for allegedly providing false campaign details. While Zammel is the only approved candidate to be arrested, other presidential hopefuls have been imprisoned or are facing prosecution.
President Saied, elected democratically in 2019, consolidated significant power in 2021.
A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups on Saturday urged including rejected candidates in the October election. The petition emphasized that the administrative court’s rulings on appeals are enforceable and cannot be contested, and called for the ISIE to uphold the law and preserve the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.