Presidential candidate arrested in Tunisia amid fears of election interference

Tunisian police arrested presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel on Monday, according to his campaign member Mahdi Abdel Jawad, who stated that the arrest was made on suspicion of falsifying popular endorsements and added, “the matter has become absurd and aims to exclude him from the election”.

The arrest comes as the electoral commission prepares to announce the final list of accepted candidates for the October 6 presidential elections.

The commission’s head, Farouk Bouasker, has sparked controversy by stating that the commission will study judicial decisions against candidates before issuing the final list, leading to fears among rights groups and politicians that prominent rivals to President Kais Saied will be excluded from the race.

The Administrative Court had previously reinstated three prominent candidates, Mondher Znaidi, AbdelLatif Mekki, and Imed Daimi, to the election race, but Bouasker’s statement has raised concerns about the commission’s independence and neutrality.

Constitutional law professors and political parties have called for the commission to implement the administrative court’s decision, warning that failure to do so will compromise the election’s credibility.
A protest has been planned for Monday near the election headquarters to demand the reinstatement of candidates and an end to “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation.
Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on 6 October 2024 in Tunisia. They will be the first presidential elections since President Kais Saied’s self-coup in 2021.