Tunisia's law professors warn presidential election legitimacy at risk

Tunisian legal scholars warned on Thursday that the legitimacy of next month's presidential election will be damaged if the electoral commission does not respect court decisions last week to reinstate three disqualified candidates.

The warning came in a statement by scores of academics in Tunisia, where rights groups accuse President Kais Saied of unpicking the democracy introduced after the Arab Spring.

Last week, the administrative court, the highest judicial body that adjudicates over electoral disputes, reinstated three prominent candidates, Mondher Znaidi, Abdellatif Mekki and Imed Daimi, in the Oct. 6 vote after the commission had rejected their candidacy.

But this week the election commission rejected the court ruling. It approved only the candidacies of Saied and two others, Zouhair Magzhaoui and Ayachi Zammel, for the election.

The decision has sparked widespread criticism among all parties, activists and rights groups.

Znaidi, Daimi and Mekki said they would continue their legal battle against what they say is a "fraud" by the commission aimed at paving the way for Saied to win a second term.

The statement, by about 90 law professors and academics widely seen as neutral in Tunisia's complex political landscape, called on 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 puts the electoral process at risk as it affects its credibility and integrity and necessarily leads to questioning the election results,” they added.

The public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered the detention of Zammel after he was arrested on suspicion of falsifying popular endorsements. Zammel has denied wrongdoing and says he is being intimidated because he is serious rival in the race.

Saied was democratically elected in 2019 then tightened his grip on power and began ruling by decree in 2021 in a move the opposition described as a coup. He said last year he would not hand over Tunisia to "non-patriots".