By TUNIS, Tunisia – A Tunisian court on Wednesday sentenced presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel to 20 months in prison, according to Zammel’s lawyer. This latest move has heightened opposition fears of a rigged election aimed at keeping President Kais Saied in power.
Zammel, head of the opposition Azimoun party, was arrested two weeks ago on charges of falsifying voter signatures on his candidacy paperwork—allegations he claims were fabricated by Saied. Political tensions in the North African country have risen ahead of the October 6 election, particularly after an electoral commission appointed by Saied disqualified three prominent candidates earlier this month, sparking protests from opposition and civil society groups.
The commission approved only the candidacies of the incumbent president, Zammel, and Zouhair Magzhaoui, who was seen as an ally of Saied, in defiance of Tunisia’s administrative court—the highest judicial body in election-related disputes.
“Today’s verdict is politically motivated, unfair, and aims to undermine Zammel’s chances in the presidential race,” Abdessattar Massoudi, Zammel’s lawyer, told Reuters.
President Kais Saied of Tunisia
Rights groups, political parties, and constitutional law professors protested, saying the commission’s decision to defy the court was an unprecedented step that raised doubt about the legitimacy and legality of the election.
Saied was democratically elected in 2019, but then tightened his grip on power and began ruling by decree in 2021 in a move the opposition has described as a coup. Critics have accused Saied of using the electoral commission to secure victory by stifling competition and intimidating rival candidates. Saied has denied the accusations, asserting that he is fighting against traitors, mercenaries, and corruption, and insisting he does not seek to become a dictator.
Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, has been imprisoned since last year on charges of harming public security. Another prominent politician, Lotfi Mraihi, was jailed this year on charges of vote-buying in the 2019 election.
The two had announced their intention to run in the October election, but were jailed and prevented from submitting their candidacy paperwork.
Last month, another court sentenced four other politicians, who had also planned to run for president, to prison and imposed a lifetime ban on their ability to run for office.
A demonstrator carries a banner during a protest demanding the implementation of a ruling by the administrative court to reinstate three other prominent candidates in the presidential race, near the headquarters of the Electoral Commission in Tunis, Tunisia September 2, 2024.
