Tunisia’s electoral commission on Monday rejected an administrative court ruling that had reinstated three presidential election candidates, intensifying concerns among opposition groups that the commission might be favoring incumbent President Kais Saied.
In defiance of the highest judicial authority, the commission approved only the candidacies of President Saied and two other candidates, Zouhair Magzhaoui and Ayachi Zammel, for the upcoming October 6 election. The commission announced that the electoral campaign would begin on September 14.
This decision is likely to undermine the credibility of the election and exacerbate the ongoing political crisis, which has been growing since 2021 when Saied consolidated power and began ruling by decree—a move the opposition has labeled a coup.
Last week, the administrative court, the top judicial body for electoral disputes, had reinstated three prominent candidates—Mondher Znaidi, AbdelLatif Mekki, and Imed Daimi—after the electoral commission initially rejected their candidacy filings.
Constitutional law experts in Tunisia have stated that the electoral commission is obligated to implement the court’s ruling, warning that failure to do so could severely damage the election’s legitimacy.
