ALBAWABA - Amid criticism from the opposition, the Tunisian Electoral Commission announced the preliminary acceptance of 3 candidates for the presidential race, including current president Kais Saied.
Several opposition parties criticized the acceptance of only a few candidates, calling it a "move to exclude serious contenders". The commission said it had accepted the candidacies of Saied and Zouhaier Maghzaoui, who is seen as close to Saied, and Ayachi Zammel for the Oct. 6 election, while rejecting 14 others.
The commission stated that several candidates, including Mondher Znaidi, Imed Daimi, Abdel Latif Mekki, Karim Gharbi, Safi Said, Kamel Akrout, and Nizar Chaari, refused to provide them with the necessary papers required as a new condition to run.
Farouk Bou Asker, the commission's director, informed reporters that the candidates were disqualified due to a lack of citizen endorsements, not because they did not have a criminal record card.
Tunisian opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused the government of imposing "arbitrary restrictions" and intimidating voters in order to secure Saied's reelection.
According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, since the end of 2022, more than 70 people have been arbitrarily prosecuted, including political opponents, attorneys, journalists, campaigners, human rights advocates, and social media users.
At least 40 of them have been imprisoned since May 2024, despite the fact that the majority are being held for exercising their internationally guaranteed rights.
