Tunisia’s Unbiased Excessive Authority for Elections (ISIE) rejected on Monday a choice of the nation’s Administrative Court docket reinstating three candidates for its presidential election on October 6.
In a press convention noon yesterday, the ISIE introduced its approval of incumbent President Kais Saied, Zouhair Magzhaoui and Ayachi Zammel as the ultimate checklist of candidates for the election. The fee’s transfer defied rulings of the Administrative Court docket final week, which reinstated three disqualified candidates together with Abdellatif Mekki and Mondher Znaidi to the presidential race.
The Administrative Court docket released an announcement yesterday confirming that copies of the annulment judgements reinstating candidates have been delivered to ISIE. Previous to the ISIE’s affirmation of presidential candidates on Monday, Ayachi Zammel was arrested by police for allegedly falsifying endorsements for his marketing campaign.
Deputy Center East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch Bassam Khawaja has expressed concern over the suppression of potential presidential candidates by the Tunisian state:
After jailing dozens of distinguished opponents and activists, Tunisian authorities have eliminated nearly all critical contenders from the presidential race, decreasing this vote to a mere formality … By blocking potential challengers, President Saied is burying what stays of Tunisia’s democracy with this election.
The upcoming 2024 Tunisian presidential elections are scheduled to be held on October 6. These elections will mark the primary presidential vote since President Kais Saied’s self-coup in 2021. Saied dissolved the parliament, suspended the actions of the Meeting and granted himself the proper to rule by decree. Amid rising financial hardships, together with excessive unemployment and inflation, the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral course of are being carefully scrutinized.
Choices of the Administrative courtroom are ultimate and can’t be appealed, making the ISIE’s refusal to incorporate the three candidates a big departure from constitutional follow. Campaigning for the presidential race is scheduled to start on September 14.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
