Tunisian opposition politician Ayachi Zammel, who ran against President Kais Saied in recent elections, has had his prison term extended, his lawyer revealed on Tuesday. This brings the total prison time against him to over 30 years.
Zammel, one of only two candidates allowed to run against Saied earlier this month, was detained in early September, coinciding with the approval of his candidacy by electoral authorities. On Monday, a court in Kairouan sentenced Zammel to an additional five years for falsifying ballot endorsements for the October 6 election, according to his lawyer, Abdessatar Messaoudi.
Messaoudi stated that Zammel was given three 20-month sentences across three different cases. Three of Zammel’s brothers were similarly sentenced.
Zammel, a former legislator and businessman, received approximately seven percent of the presidential vote, whereas Saied won over 90 percent, according to Tunisia’s electoral commission, ISIE. Zammel currently faces 37 cases, all related to accusations of falsified endorsements. His campaign labeled his arrest as “political.”
The European Union condemned the shrinking democratic space in Tunisia following Zammel’s arrest, and the subsequent dismissal of appeals by other candidates seeking to join the race.
Tunisia’s fragile democratic transition faltered when Saied, elected in 2019, assumed full executive powers in 2021, dissolving parliament and citing national security concerns. While Saied’s popularity initially surged due to widespread frustration with the country’s political class and economic challenges, opposition groups worry his re-election will further erode democratic freedoms and institutional checks on power.
Critics, including Human Rights Watch, have voiced concern over the increasing number of political arrests in Tunisia, with over 170 people reportedly detained on political grounds. Among the detained are other prominent political figures like Rached Ghannouchi and Abir Moussi, both representing opposing ends of Tunisia’s political spectrum.
While Saied still enjoys significant support, particularly from working-class Tunisians, he has been criticized for failing to address the country’s persistent economic crisis, raising fears that his second term will deepen Tunisia’s authoritarian trajectory and economic challenges.
