Summary:

On 14 August 2024, presidential candidate and founder of the political party Azimoun, Ayachi Zammel, was summoned by the judicial police to be questioned regarding allegations of suspicious electoral sponsorships.  

                     [mepr-show if=”loggedout”] Please login or purchase an InBrief membership to view the rest of this report [/mepr-show] [mepr-show if=”loggedin”] 

The investigation was launched after two individuals were accused of collecting sponsorships for Ayachi Zammel in the Essijoumi area of the capital city of Tunis.  

The accused allegedly defrauded citizens by encouraging them to sign sponsorship forms which they understood to be intended for President Saïed, then filling them out in the name of Ayachi Zammel. 

Ayachi reported that the police searched the house of the alleged fraudsters as well as the offices of Azimoun without finding proof of the alleged fraud. 

Ayachi Zammel is one of only two challengers to President Saied in the presidential elections scheduled for early October. 

These events coincided with Members of Parliament calling for the head of the Parliament to take appropriate measures to protect them after intimidating posts on social media called for them to sponsor candidates other than President Saied.  

Outlook: 

The questioning of Ayachi Zammel is raising controversy over the ongoing electoral race in Tunisia and extending concerns among various parties that President Saied’s administration is leveraging state institutions to hinder his potential challengers.  

Out of seventeen candidacies, the Higher Independent Instance for Elections (ISIE) accepted only two candidacies apart for that of the President Saied. With the recent accusations against Ayachi Zammel, it is possible that only two candidates participate in the elections: President Saied and Zouhaier Maghzaoui, leader of the Echaab political party. 

The fact that Maghzaoui was a supporter of the President, before expressing his discontent over political arrests and economic issues, has prompted wide concerns over political plurality in Tunisia at a vulnerable point of political transition. 

As many candidates were sentenced to months or years of prison and were also banned from participating in elections, the President may lack legitimacy even if he wins re-elections as no influential or compelling candidates were permitted to compete with him. 

[/mepr-show] 

Explore our services or speak with our team of North Africa-based risk experts.