Tunisian Presidential Candidate Zammel Freed From Prison, Allegedly Due To Incumbent Implementation

Illustration of the Tunisian flag. (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Tunisian presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel was released from police custody on Friday 6 September. Zammel was detained on suspicion of violating the 2024 Tunisian elections.

Quoting Reuters, Zammel is one of three presidential candidates that have been appointed by the Tunisian General Elections Commission (KPU) to advance in the presidential election contestation on October 6.

According to current Tunisian government opposition critics, Zamel was rigged in the interests of President Kais Saied.

He was arrested on Monday earlier this week on suspicion of falsifying a voter form. A judge ordered his release on Thursday 5 September.

However, two lawyers Zammel, Abdessatar Massoudi and Dalila Ben Mbarek, said their client was arrested again after being released.

Until today, Zamel was finally released again. Zamel's case against Zamel was postponed until September 19.

Zammel's campaign team member, Mahdi Abdel Jawad, described the arrest of his client as kidnapping.

Zamel is accused of falsifying the voter form for the 2024 Tunisian presidential election. Every candidate for the 2024 Tunisian presidential election must submit a form of at least 10,000 supporters in order to meet the requirements to advance.

Zamel has denied the accusations leveled at him.

Zammel admitted that he received a number of intimidation because he competed with President Saied's incumbent.

In his campaign, he has promised to rebuild democracy, guarantee freedom, and improve Tunisia's collapsing economy.

Saied was democratically elected in the 2019 Tunisian presidential election. However, on his way, Saied is considered to continue to strengthen his grip so that he can fully rule through a decree in 2021. The opposition described the decree issued by Saied as a form of a coup.

Major political factions say Saied's authority when he was head of state has eroded the course of democracy since the Tunisian revolution in 2011.