TUNIS, Tunisia: Tunisian court sentenced four potential presidential candidates to eight months in prison and barred them from running for office on charges of vote buying.
This decision, which affects prominent figures such as politician Abdel Latif Mekki, activist Nizar Chaari, Judge Mourad Massoudi, and Adel Dou, has been perceived by many as an attempt to eliminate serious contenders against President Kais Saied.
The ruling has intensified concerns among opposition parties and human rights groups, who accuse the authorities of using arbitrary restrictions and intimidation to ensure Saied’s re-election in the upcoming October 6 vote. Mokthar Jmai, the lawyer representing the accused, confirmed the sentences.
Despite the court’s decision, Ahmed Nafatti, Mekki’s campaign manager, stated that they still plan to submit Mekki’s candidacy papers, denouncing the verdict as unjust and aimed at excluding significant competitors from the race. Chaari echoed these sentiments, describing the ruling as a move to prevent them from participating in the election.
In a similar vein, a separate court sentenced Abir Moussi, another prominent opponent of Saied, to two years in prison for insulting the election commission. Last month, potential presidential candidate Lotfi Mraihi was also sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from running, highlighting a pattern of judicial actions against Saied’s critics.
Elected in 2019, President Saied dissolved parliament in 2021 and has since ruled by decree, a move that the opposition has labeled a coup. Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are currently imprisoned, accuse Saied’s administration of manipulating the judiciary to suppress his rivals ahead of the 2024 elections, clearing his path to a second term. Saied, however, denies these allegations, asserting that there are no restrictions on potential candidates.
Additionally, at least four other prominent candidates reported that the election commission imposed a new requirement for a police record to register their candidacies, which the interior ministry refused to provide. They argue that such measures aim to revert Tunisia to the era of dictatorship and sham elections that existed before the 2011 revolution. The interior ministry has yet to comment on these allegations.
