Tunisia Prosecutor Orders Detention Of Presidential Candidate

Tunisia’s public prosecutor has ordered the detention of presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel pending trial on Wednesday.

Zammel, one of three approved candidates along with the current President Kais Saied and politician Zouhair Maghzaoui, in the upcoming October 6 election, was arrested on Monday as reported by THE WHISTLER for allegedly falsifying popular endorsements.

Supporters of Zammel claim the accusations are baseless and that the detention is a clear attempt by President Kais Saied to eliminate political opponents.

Zammel’s lawyer, Kais Oueslati, confirmed that the prosecutor has ordered his client to be held in custody pending trial, with no date set.

The decision came two days after Tunisia’s electoral commission defied an administrative court ruling to reinstate three prominent candidates in the race.

Rights groups, political parties and constitutional law professors protested, saying the decision was an unprecedented step that raised doubt about the legitimacy and legality of the election in the North African country.

As the election campaign is set to begin on September 14, opponents of President Saied are calling for all candidates to withdraw from the race, labelling the vote a farce.

They said the electoral commission was no longer independent and its sole goal had become ensuring Saied’s return for a second term.

The electoral commission has denied allegations of bias, insisting it is simply applying the law.

The detention of Ayachi Zammel has further fuelled tensions in the run-up to the election, with many fearing for the future of democracy in Tunisia.

Tunisia Prosecutor Orders Detention Of Presidential Candidate is first published on The Whistler Newspaper