Tunisia’s electoral commission has preliminarily approved three candidates for the upcoming presidential election on October 6, including incumbent President Kais Saied. The other two candidates are Zouhair Magzhaoui, considered close to Saied, and Ayachi Zammel, head of the Azimoun party, who has not previously been seen as a significant political figure. Fourteen other candidates were rejected, with some alleging that the interior ministry refused to provide them with the criminal record details that are now a criterion to contest in the election. This has led to accusations from opposition figures that the government intentionally took this step to exclude serious contenders. However, the head of the electoral commission, Farouk Bou Asker, rejects these claims, stating that the rejections were due to a lack of citizens’ endorsements and not the absence of criminal record cards.
SOURCE: FRANCE 24