A Tunisian court has sentenced several prospective presidential candidates to prison and prohibited them from participating in the upcoming election. This decision, reported by local media, politicians, and a lawyer, is seen by critics as an effort to eliminate key challengers to President Kais Saied in the October vote.
The court’s ruling on Monday involved well-known figures such as politician Abdel Latif Mekki, activist Nizar Chaari, Judge Mourad Massoudi, and another candidate, Adel Dou. Lawyer Mokthar Jmai informed Reuters that each of the four received an eight-month prison term and was barred from running for office due to allegations of vote buying.
Late on Monday, another court sentenced Abir Moussi, a vocal critic of President Saied, to two years in prison for insulting the election commission, according to local sources.
Moussi, a key figure in the opposition, has been imprisoned since October.
This decision is likely to intensify concerns among opposition groups, candidates, and human rights advocates, who claim that the authorities are employing unjust restrictions and intimidation tactics to guarantee President Saied’s re-election in the October 6 vote.
Ahmed Nafatti, who manages Mekki’s campaign, announced that they still plan to file his candidacy papers on Tuesday. Nafatti criticized the decision as both unfair and unjust, claiming it aims to remove a serious contender from the race.
Chaari condemned the ruling as shocking and claimed it is part of a broader strategy to obstruct their participation in the election through a series of restrictive measures.
Moussi, leader of the Free Destourian Party and a former parliament member, had filed her candidacy through her lawyers on Saturday, just before her sentencing. Her conviction was based on Decree 54, a law enacted by Saied in 2022 to combat “false news.”
If the sentencing is upheld on appeal or in future proceedings, Moussi will be officially disqualified from running for office, as one of the eligibility requirements is having a clean criminal record.
Last month, Lotfi Mraihi, a potential presidential candidate and strong critic of Saied, was sentenced to eight months in prison for vote buying and barred from participating in presidential elections.
On Monday morning, President Kais Saied officially submitted his candidacy for the October election. Saied, 66, stated in Tunis that his bid is part of a “war of liberation and self-determination” with the goal of “establishing a new republic.”

Elected in 2019, Saied dissolved parliament in 2021 and began governing by decree, a move the opposition has labeled a coup. Saied has declared that he will not transfer power to those he deems “non-patriots.”
Opposition parties, whose leaders are mostly imprisoned, have accused President Saied’s administration of influencing the judiciary to target his opponents in the 2024 elections, thus ensuring his path to a second term.
Saied refuted these claims, asserting, “There are no restrictions on potential candidates for the presidential elections. This is nonsense and lies,” after filing his candidacy on Monday. He further stated, “Anyone suggesting there are restrictions is delusional. I have not oppressed anyone, and the law applies equally to all.”
Earlier that day, several prominent potential candidates reported that the election commission had imposed a new rule requiring them to submit their police records for registration, but the interior ministry had declined to provide these records. They accused the authorities of attempting to return Tunisia to the pre-2011 era of dictatorship and fraudulent elections.
The interior ministry has not yet responded to these allegations.