In Tunisia, election-related tension is on the rise.
There's increasing worry in Tunisia that potential challengers of President Kais Saied, such as Ayachi Zammel, might be kept out of the October 6 vote. As per his campaign team, Zammel was taken into custody late at night. A team member confirmed this, stating it happened around 3 am. He's been charged with tampering with election recommendations.
This whole situation seems fishy and might aim to eliminate him from the election. Neither the election body nor the interior ministry has offered any comments so far.
The election body was supposed to reveal the final candidate list on Monday. Zammel was already on that list, along with Saied and others. Previously, the body had declined three prominent candidates but was pressured to reconsider due to an administrative court ruling.
However, the commission's lead, Farouk Bouasker, mentioned that the decision would be reconsidered before the final list is disclosed. This has sparked criticism from politicians and human rights advocates, who suspect it could mean excluding the three candidates. They claim that the commission has lost its independence and its main aim is to pave the way for Saied's victory. The commission denies these allegations, insisting it maintains neutrality.
Saied disbanded parliament by decree in 2021 and enacted a constitution that vested the president with almost absolute power, citing years of instability in Tunisia. Critics label it a coup. Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring in 2011, inspiring hopes of democratic reforms across the region.**
The allegations against the election commission suggest a possible attempt to eliminate Zammel as the counter-candidate. Despite the commission's denial, its actions have raised concerns about its impartiality and potential bias towards President Saied's victory.
