Tunisia: potential rivals sentenced and barred from presidential election

A Tunisian court has sentenced several potential presidential candidates to prison and banned them from running in the upcoming October election, sparking concerns about political bias in favour of incumbent President Kais Saied.

According to the Guardian, prominent figures including politician Abdel Latif Mekki, activist Nizar Chaari, Judge Mourad Massoudi, and another candidate, Adel Dou, received eight-month prison sentences for vote-buying, explained lawyer Mokthar Jmai.

They have also been barred from contesting the election. Additionally, Abir Moussi, a key opposition leader and outspoken critic of Saied, was sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly insulting the election commission. Moussi has been imprisoned since October.

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The rulings have intensified fears among opposition groups, who accuse the government of using judicial measures to eliminate serious competitors and secure Saied’s re-election. Despite the sentences, Mekki’s campaign manager, Ahmed Nafatti, indicated that they still plan to submit his candidacy.

One candidate, Safi Said, said on Friday that he had withdrawn from the race, describing the elections as a “one man show”.

Saied, who dissolved parliament in 2021 and has since been ruling by decree, denies suppressing his rivals, asserting that the law applies equally to all. However, opposition parties claim that these legal moves are part of a broader effort to return the North African country to the autocratic system which was in place before the 2011 revolution.

Late last month Saied asserted that the 2014 constitution, referred to by Tunisians as the “Revolution’s Constitution”, was a “Zionist plot” designed to destroy the country from within.

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