Tunisia's Kais Saied to face off against two former MPs in presidential election

Electoral authority rejects Administrative Court ruling to reinstate three other candidates for October 6 poll

Farouk Bouasker, president of Tunisia's Independent High Authority for Elections, said the body had rejected court orders to reinstate three disqualified candidates. EPA

Only three candidates will be in the running in Tunisia's October 6 presidential election, the country's electoral authority announced on Monday.

The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) said it rejected rulings by the Administrative Court to reinstate three candidates, leaving only President Kais Saied and two former members of parliament, Zouhair Maghzaoui and Ayachi Zammel, in the race.

Although the Administrative Court upheld appeals by Abdellatif El Mekki, Mondher Znaidi and Imed Daimi against their disqualification, the ISIE had not received the rulings within 48 hours as stipulated in Tunisia’s electoral law, its president, Farouk Bouasker, said at a press conference in Tunis.

But court spokesman Faycel Bouguerra told the local Mosaique radio station that it verbally informed the electoral authority and the candidates' lawyers of its decision as soon as it was issued.

“Article 24 of the Elections Authority law 18, issued in 2014, requires it to comply with the decisions of the general judicial session [of the Administrative Court] both according to a written copy or a verbal statement of the ruling,” he said.

Mr Bouguerra added that this procedure had been in effect between the Administrative Court and the elections authority since 2011.

The electoral authority's decision sets a precedent in Tunisia, as the orders of the Administrative Court have previously been considered binding. The ISIE had rejected the three candidates on the grounds that they did not have enough valid voter signatures as required by the electoral law.

Mr Bouasker accused the opposition presidential hopefuls of using manipulation, falsification and bribery to get voter signatures. One of them was also found to have dual nationality, he alleged.

Tunisia’s electoral law bars candidates who hold dual citizenship, or whose parents or grandparents have held foreign citizenship.

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Kais Saied, the incumbent, 66, was elected in 2019 after the death of Beji Caid Essebsi. The constitutional law professor's victory, gaining 72.7 per cent of the vote in a run-off against businessman and media mogul, Nabil Karoui, was a surprise as he was widely considered a political outsider.

In July 2021, Mr Saied consolidated all branches of authority under him after dissolving the parliament, government and high judicial council in a move that he called “exceptional measures”.

He has since ruled the country by decree and introduced a new constitution, which he wrote himself. The document was ratified in a referendum that drew only 27.5 per cent of voters.

Mr Saied is considered a favourite among the general public. This support primarily stems from his July 2021 measures whereby he eliminated a class of politicians who people had grown frustrated with and who they continue to blame for the deterioration of their socio-economic situation.

Ayachi Zammel, 47, an agricultural engineer and investor from the marginalised north-western governorate of Siliana, began his political career after winning a seat in parliament in 2019. He used to be a member of former prime minister Youssef Chahed's Tahya Tounes party.

In 2022, he founded and became president of the Azimoun Movement party.

In a recorded message on his Facebook page, Mr Zammel said he decided to enter the presidential race because he wanted “to participate in changing Tunisia’s reality”, and chose “Turning the page” as his campaign slogan in an attempt “to unite people, stay away from ideological rows and focus on the socio-economic aspect to build a new Tunisia”.

However, Mr Zammel's participation in the election could be in doubt after he and a member of his campaign team were placed in 48-hour pre-trial detention on Monday, over accusations of falsifying voter signatures endorsing his candidacy.

Zouhair Maghzaoui, 59, is the secretary general of pan-Arab nationalist People’s Movement. He succeeded its assassinated leader, Mohamed Brahmi, in 2013.

Mr Maghzaoui, who used to be an MP representing the southern governorate of Kebili, has said he is confident of reaching the second round of the election.

His party is seen as mostly supportive of Mr Saied, and backed the president's actions in July 2021.

However, Mr Maghzaoui has been highly critical of Mr Saied after announcing his decision to run for president, accusing the incumbent of infringing on the electoral law and using state resources to conduct an early electoral campaign.

After announcing that he would seek a second term, Mr Saied has been travelling across the country for sudden inspections of public facilities and impromptu meetings with people in remote cities and villages. His opponents accused him of taking advantage of his privileges as President.

Mr Maghzaoui also denounced the rhetoric that supporting the incumbent president is necessary to hold on to “the democratic tradition”.

“Tunisians have two options, either to continue [to support] a rhetoric that accuses everyone of treason or to make real change through the ballot box on October 6,” he said at a press conference last week.

The presidential election will be the country’s third since a popular uprising in 2011 ousted long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.