In Tunisia, the electoral body endorses three individuals as potential contenders for the presidential vote.
The representative of the Administrative Court, Faycal Bouguerra, refuted this depiction. According to him, both the ISIE and the affected applicants were notified "on the same day" about the court's judgments, during an interview with radio station Mosaique FM.
The Electoral Commission vetoed these candidates back in August, stating insufficient backing for their nominations. The three disqualified individuals then appealed to the Administrative Court and emerged victorious – but they're still not eligible to run. In actuality, the ISIE disqualified 14 candidates in total.
Consequently, former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and entrepreneur Ayachi Zammel remain the sole viable opponents to the president. On Monday, it was revealed that Zammel was detained, as announced by his team. He's been charged with misrepresenting facts related to his campaign.
On Saturday, a petition was circulated, featuring signatures from several prominent Tunisians and civic society groups. They urged the ISIE to uphold the law and avoid actions that could potentially threaten the election's transparency and authenticity.
Saied was elected through a democratic process back in 2019. In 2021, he employed an emergency article to oust the government. Since then, he has revised the constitution with the purpose of consolidating power. Currently, many of Saied's adversaries find themselves incarcerated.
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Despite the court's ruling in favor of the disqualified candidates, their eligibility to participate in the [Election of the President] remains uncertain due to their legal issues. The [Election of the President] in Tunisia is scheduled to take place amidst these controversies and ongoing political tensions.
