Tunisia’s electoral commission said on Sunday that three candidates, including incumbent President Kais Saied, have been cleared to run in the upcoming presidential election amid widespread accusations that serious contenders have been sidelined.
Two years after his election in 2019, Saied, now 66, dissolved parliament, seized wide-ranging powers and began ruling by decree in a move the opposition has described as a coup.
He is now seeking another term in office in the elections set for 6 October. The other two candidates are former lawmakers Zouhair Maghzaoui, who has supported Saied’s power grab, and Ayachi Zammel, who leads a little-known party.
Farouk Bouasker, president of the Independent High Authority for Elections (Isie), said in a news conference that 14 presidential hopefuls were barred from the race after “not collecting enough endorsements”.
Critics said presidential hopefuls faced significant obstacles in their bids to challenge Saied. Tunisian authorities have been accused of using arbitrary detentions and administrative barriers to ensure Saeid’s re-election.
Earlier this week, a Tunisian court sentenced four potential presidential election candidates to eight months in prison and banned them from running for office on charges of vote buying.
Meanwhile, a prominent opposition figure and potential candidate, Abir Moussi, was sentenced to two years in prison.
To be eligible to run in the election, candidates must present a list of signatures from 10,000 registered voters, with at least 500 signatures from each constituency or secure endorsements from lawmakers or local officials. The Isie also requires candidates to have a clean criminal record.
Several prominent presidential hopefuls said authorities denied their requests to access their criminal records, a new requirement for registering as a candidate.
Others complained about obstacles in obtaining the necessary endorsement forms.
As part of Saied’s consolidation of power, Tunisia’s constitution was rewritten in 2022 to establish a presidential regime with a parliament that holds extremely limited powers.
Over the past 18 months, more than 60 critical voices have been prosecuted under Decree 54, a legislation enacted by Saied in 2022 to combat “false news”, according to the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT).
Additionally, more than 20 of Saied’s opponents have been detained since a flurry of arrests began in February 2023.
