A Tunisian appeal court has upheld a 20-month prison sentence for presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel on charges of certificate forgery. Zammel, a businessman and leader of the Azimoun party, was convicted last month for falsifying electoral documents ahead of the country’s October 6 presidential election.
Despite the ruling, Zammel’s lawyer stated that the sentence can still be appealed and does not affect his candidacy. He is running against the current President, Kais Saied and another candidate, Zouhair Maghzaoui of the People’s Movement.
Some citizens have accused the election commission of being biased and blocking serious challengers to pave the way for Saied’s victory. The commission denied the charges, however its members are being selected by the president. Additionally, the country’s legislative recently amended election laws which stops judicial oversight over the commission.
The electoral commission has been under the control of Saïed since he restructured it in April 2022; its seven members are now nominated by the president. “Instead of ensuring the integrity of the upcoming election, the commission has intervened to skew the ballot in favour of Saïed”, Human Rights Watch stated.
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