Election in Tunisia: Just Two Contenders to Challenge Saied
In the elections scheduled for next month, President Kais Saied will face competition from just two candidates, as confirmed by Tunisia’s electoral body on Monday.
Businessman Ayachi Zammel, one of these contenders, was detained soon after the announcement and is currently under investigation for allegedly forging voter registration signatures.
On the basis of similar accusations, authorities detained the treasurer of Zammel’s previous political party last month.
The sole contenders qualified to contest for the October 6 presidential election in Tunisia are incumbent Saied, Zammel, the head of a small pro-business party, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, a former member of the left-wing pan-Arabist parliament. This was certified by the country’s electoral commission on Monday.
At first, seventeen people had intended to run for the presidency.
As September 14 approaches and the campaign season draws near, observers are becoming increasingly concerned about the symptoms of democratic disintegration in Tunisia.
President Saied has cemented his authority in a nation that was once a leader of democratic reform during the Arab Spring ten years ago by implementing extreme measures including imprisoning political opponents, suspending the legislature, and revising the constitution.
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