Tunisia’s Parliament Approves Electoral Law Change Ahead Of Presidential Election

Tunisia’s Parliament has approved a significant amendment to the country’s electoral process, just days before the presidential election scheduled for October 6. The new legislation modifies the 2014 electoral law and transfers the oversight of elections from the Administrative Court to the Court of Appeal, affecting the monitoring of elections and the handling of related disputes and appeals.

This legislative change follows the Administrative Court’s recent opposition to the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), which had disqualified three candidates from participating in the upcoming presidential race.

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In addition to shifting oversight responsibilities, the draft law revises the appeal procedures against ISIE decisions regarding presidential candidacies, as reported by Xinhua news agency. It also updates regulations concerning the announcement of successful candidates, campaign financing and oversight, financial and electoral offenses, and the resolution of disputes over election results.

On September 2, the ISIE released the final list of candidates for the presidential election, which includes incumbent President Kais Saied, who is seeking a second five-year term; Zouhair Maghzaoui, Secretary-General of the People’s Movement party; and Ayachi Zammel, Secretary-General of the Azimoun Movement, who is currently detained over alleged election-related irregularities.

Tunisia conducts presidential elections every five years, with Saied having been in office since his election in 2019.