Tunisian police detain presidential hopeful as candidacy confirmed

The Tunisian police have arrested a prominent opposition politician as he was confirmed as one of just two challengers to President Kais Saied in upcoming elections.

Ayachi Zammel was detained early on Monday, just ahead of an announcement by the country’s electoral commission that he had made it onto the final list of candidates for the October 6 poll, alongside the incumbent and just one other challenger.

That confirmed an earlier decision by the commission to oust several others who had sought to run. Rights groups accuse Saied of seeking to purge political competition.

Zammel was taken to a police station outside the capital Tunis on suspicion of falsifying endorsements supporting his bid to take part in the election, his campaign manager said.

“The matter has become absurd and aims to exclude him from the election,” said Mahdi Abdeljaouad.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Tunisian government of blocking rivals of President Kais Saied from challenging him in the upcoming election.

Saied, who is seeking a second term, won power in a 2019 election. But he later orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021, shutting down Parliament and ruling by decree. Opposition figures were also jailed.

The treasurer of Zammel’s Azimoun party was also arrested last month on similar charges, and will stand trial on September 13.

To appear on the ballot, candidates are required to present a list of signatures either from 10,000 registered voters, 10 parliamentarians or 40 local officials.

Several would-be candidates have been accused by the government of forging signatures.

The announcement by the electoral commission reinstates an earlier decision disqualifying several other candidates, including Imed Daimi, an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki.

Last week, Tunisia’s highest judicial body had ruled that Daimi, as well as two other prominent candidates – Mondher Znaidi and Abdellatif Mekki – should be allowed to run.

HRW has said at least eight prospective candidates have been “prosecuted, convicted or imprisoned”.

Political parties and human rights groups have called in a joint statement for a protest on Monday near the election headquarters to demand implementation of the court’s decision to reinstate the candidates and stop “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation.