Just two candidates approved to challenge Tunisia president

President Kais Saied, in power since 2019, has been accused of concentrating power into his hands. Reuters

Tunis, September 2 — Tunisia's electoral commission has approved just three candidates to run in next month's presidential election ignoring a court ruling to reinstate three others.

Among those approved are President Kais Saied and Ayachi Zammel, whose campaign team had earlier said had been arrested on Monday.

The president faces accusations of trying to restrict the number of those allowed to run against him.

Since he won his first term in 2019 Mr Saied has suspended parliament and concentrated power in his hands.

Last week, the country's highest court said three candidates who had been barred from running by the electoral commission should be allowed to participate.

Farouk Bouasker, the head of the commission had said he would look at the court's ruling before making a decision.

In a statement quoted by the AFP news agency, the commission said that the court had not officially communicated its ruling within the deadline.

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said in August that the authorities had excluded eight other prospective candidates for the 6 October election through prosecution and imprisonment.

Mr Zammel's campaign team, which said he was accused of falsifying details of those who backed him, dismissed the allegation as "absurd", the Reuters news agency reports.

In 2021, after sacking the prime minister and suspending parliament, President Saied pushed through a new constitution cementing his one-man rule.

The new constitution replaced one drafted soon after the Arab Spring in 2011, which saw Tunisia overthrow late dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. It gave the head of state full executive control and supreme command of the army.

Mr Saied has justified his actions by saying he needed new powers to break a cycle of political paralysis and economic decay.

He also noted that the Ministry of Forestry now falls under the quota of the Congress party, whereas he is an independent MP. Manange stated, "Since I am not a Congress MP, the position should be filled by a Congress MP as per their quota."