Tunisia: Mondher Znaidi returns to presidential race
A one-man contest for the Tunisian presidency seems no more as the Tunisian Administrative Court upheld an appeal by prominent candidate Mondher Znaidi to return to the presidential race, reported Reuters and agencies on August 29th.
The Tunisian court’s ruling was the second in which another candidate won an appeal to appear on the presidential ballot, as Abdellatif Mekki successfully overturned a rejection of his candidacy filing.
The admission of both candidates has been observed by many to have revitalised the election set for October 6th, as current President Kaies Saied will have to face more competition to secure his second term.
Judicial official Faycel Bouguera told Reuters that the court’s decision was final and could not be challenged on appeal.
Znaidi served as Minister of Public Health from 2007 to 2011 under the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted following mass protests in 2011. Znaidi, currently living in Paris, stated, “he wants to rebuild Tunisia, unite all Tunisians and end years of division that Saied sowed”.
READ: Tunisia: Union rejects move to silence journalist’s election coverage
Znaidi hopes to ride the rising anger against Saied’s rule and the influence of Islamists after the revolution to secure the Presidency in October. He also hopes to tap into what is widely seen as a large base of voters who supported the former regime.
The list of accepted candidates also includes Saied, Ayachi Zammel, Zouhair Maghzaoui and Abdelattif Mekki.
Human rights groups and politicians have criticised authorities for using intimidatory tactics and setting “arbitrary restrictions” on presidential hopefuls competing with Saied.
The run-up to the election has been wrought with controversy. Many claim that the electoral commission lacks neutrality and seeks to eliminate all serious competitors, allowing Saied to clinch victory. The commission has repeatedly denied such accusations.
Reuters and agencies
