Tunisian police arrested presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel at his home at about 3:00 a.m. on suspicion of falsifying popular endorsements. The arrest comes amid growing fears among rights groups and the opposition that prominent rivals to President Kais Saied will be excluded from the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for October 6.
The electoral commission is preparing to announce on Monday the final list of accepted candidates for the presidential elections. Mahdi Abdel Jawad said “the matter has become absurd and aims to exclude him from the election”. However, the electoral commission and the interior ministry did not immediately comment on the arrest or Jawad’s allegation.
This incident follows the recent reinstatement of three prominent candidates—Mondher Znaidi, AbdelLatif Mekki, and Imed Daimi—by the Administrative Court, after their candidacy had initially been rejected by the electoral commission. They joined accepted candidates Ayachi Zammel, Zouhair Maghzaoui and Saied, the current president. Despite this ruling, electoral commission head Farouk Bouasker indicated that the commission would review the court’s decision before finalising the candidate list, sparking outrage among political parties and rights groups.
Critics argue that the commission’s actions suggest a lack of independence and a bias in favor of President Saied, who took control of all government powers in 2021, a move the opposition has labeled a coup. Tunisian constitutional law experts emphasise that the commission must comply with the court’s ruling to maintain the election’s credibility. In response, political parties and human rights groups have called for protests, demanding the implementation of the court’s decision and an end to what they perceive as arbitrary restrictions and intimidation.
This situation highlights the ongoing tensions and challenges surrounding Tunisia’s electoral process, with significant implications for the country’s political future.
Melissa Enoch
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