Tunisian opposition candidate arrested amid 'dictatorial' pre-election climate
Five weeks from Tunisia's presidential election, police have arrested one of the few opposition candidates authorised to run against President Kais Saied. It comes amid what civil society groups have denounced as a "dictatorial" political climate ahead of the 6 October polls.
Ayachi Zammel, the leader of a liberal party, was arrested early on Monday morning on suspicion of falsifying endorsements, his campaign team told Reuters news agency.
He was one of only two challengers who saw their applications to stand against Saied approved by Tunisia's electoral commission, the ISIE.
Fourteen other opposition candidates tried to run, but their bids were denied.
Three successfully appealed the commission's decisions in court: former minister Mondher Zenaidi, prominent politician Imed Daimi, and Abdellatif Mekki, former leader of the conservative Islamist party Ennahda.
Yet the ISIE refused to accept the rulings. None of the three featured on its final list of candidates, announced on Monday afternoon.
Dominant power
Aside from Saied, only two other candidates were approved: Zammel and Zouhair Maghzaoui of the pan-Arab, left-wing People's Movement, who long supported Saied before distancing himself from the president.
Democracy watchdogs have criticised the incumbent's stranglehold on the country's institutions – notably on the judiciary.
That means the election is not taking place on a level playing field, according to the non-profit organisation, which also decries pressure on the media, the detention of opposition figures and violent political discourse.
The president described his choice as “indispensable” to ensure what he calls "national security".
Read more on RFI English
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