This caution, voiced by numerous academics, comes amid concerns from rights groups that President Kais Saied is eroding the democracy established after the Arab Spring.
The administrative court, Tunisia’s highest authority for electoral disputes, reinstated three major candidates—Mondher Znaidi, Abdellatif Mekki, and Imed Daimi—for the October 6 vote after their initial rejection.
Despite this, the election commission has ignored the court’s ruling and approved only President Kais Saied, Zouhair Magzhaoui, and Ayachi Zammel as candidates.
The decision has triggered broad criticism from all political parties, activists, and rights groups. Znaidi, Daimi, and Mekki vowed to continue their legal fight against what they allege is a “fraud” by the commission designed to secure a second term for Saied.
A statement from around 90 law professors and academics, viewed as neutral in Tunisia’s political landscape, urged the commission “to abide by the Court’s decision to ensure the credibility of the electoral process and protect the rule of law.”
“The commission’s decision jeopardises the electoral process by undermining its credibility and integrity, leading to doubts about the election results,” they said.
On Wednesday, the public prosecutor ordered the detention of Zouhair Zammel, who faces allegations of falsifying endorsements, though he denies any wrongdoing and claims he is being targeted because of his strong candidacy.
President Kais Saied, who was elected in 2019, has since consolidated his power and began ruling by decree in 2021, a move opposition critics have called a coup. Saied has stated that he will not allow Tunisia to be governed by “non-patriots”.