Tunisian court orders electoral commission to reinstate presidential candidates

Tunisia's highest court on Saturday ordered the electoral commission to reinstate two candidates for a presidential poll in October, warning that failure to do so could jeopardise the legitimacy of the election.

The move by the Administrative Court comes amid growing political tension in the North African country and fears from the opposition and civil society groups about a rigged election that would lead to President Kais Saied winning a second term.

Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets on Friday in the country's biggest march in two years, protesting against restrictions on freedoms and the undemocratic electoral climate.

The protesters chanted slogans including "Out with dictator Saied".

Tensions mounted after the electoral commission earlier this month rejected the court's decision to restore the candidacy of Abdellaif Mekki, Mondher Znaidi and Imed Daimi ahead of the Oct.6 race, citing alleged irregularities in their candidacy filings.

Major parties and civil society groups said that the commission, whose members were appointed by the president himself, had became a tool in the hands of the president against his rivals.

The head of the commission Farouk Bouasker has denied the accusations and said that "the commission is the only constitutional body entrusted with the integrity of the election".

But the court said on Saturday that the commission is obligated to implement its decision and, if necessary, to review the electoral calendar. It is not clear if this means postponing the election or extending the campaign timeframe.

"Otherwise it would lead to an illegal situation that conflicts with the electoral law and the transparency of the electoral process", it said.

The court asked Znaidi and Mekki to be included in the race, after they filed a new complaint against the commission's decision. The third candidate, Daimi, has not filed a second appeal yet.

Saied was democratically elected in 2019, but then tightened his grip on power and began ruling by decree in 2021 in a move the opposition has described as a coup.