Presidential candidate Mekki is permitted to recommence his election campaign by a Tunisian court

Abdellatif Mekki, a prominent opposition politician, was permitted to recommence his presidential campaign on Tuesday after a Tunisian court upheld his appeal. The election is scheduled for October 6, according to judicial and political sources who spoke with Reuters.

According to the electoral commission, Mekki was disqualified from the contest as a result of a dearth of popular endorsements. According to Faycel Boguira, a judicial official, the court’s decision was deemed definitive and could not be appealed, as reported by Reuters.

Tunisia’s administrative court will render additional decisions this week concerning additional politicians who have submitted appeals subsequent to the commission’s rejection of their candidacy papers. Among them are Abir Moussi, Imed Daimi, and Mondher Zenaidi.

Mekki, the leader of the Action and Achievement Party, has been included in the court’s list of approved candidates, which also includes the incumbent, President Kais Saied, and politicians Ayachi Zammel and Zouhair Maghzaoui.

Mekki was a prominent official in the Islamist Ennahda party until its dissolution in 2022, when she sought out a rival party. Nevertheless, his popularity among supporters of Ennahda, one of Tunisia’s most prevalent political parties, remains substantial.

Ahmed Nafati, Mekki’s campaign manager, stated to Reuters, “The court decision is just and underscores the administrative court’s reputation for integrity, which has been sustained throughout Tunisia’s turbulent history.”

In an effort to secure Saied’s re-election, Tunisian opposition parties, legislators, and human rights organizations have accused the authorities of employing “arbitrary restrictions” and intimidation.

Saied’s supporters contend that the electoral commission is not impartial and is actively working to eradicate all viable competitors in order to facilitate his victory. These allegations are denied by the commission.

Last year, Saied, who in 2021 dissolved parliament and assumed control of all powers in a maneuver that the opposition characterized as a coup, declared that he would not relinquish the country to non-patriots.