(Bloomberg) -- One of Tunisian President Kais Saied’s two opponents in October elections was sentenced to 20 months in prison, a move his campaign said was a bid to sideline challengers in a vote already marred by the mass arrest of critics.
Ayachi Zammel was convicted Wednesday on charges of forging endorsements for his electoral run, the state-run TAP news agency reported. Zammel, who heads the opposition Azimoun party and was detained two weeks earlier, denies any wrongdoing.
His campaign urged “all democratic forces” and election authorities to intervene and allow him to resume his bid for top office — a role Saied has increasingly used to amass unprecedented powers in the North African nation.
Tunisia’s Oct. 6 vote is shaping up as a litmus test for freedoms in the birthplace of the 2011 pro-democracy protests that reverberated across the Arab world. Saied, a constitutional law expert who beat out established politicians to win an election five years ago, is accused of quashing opposition and returning the country to dictatorship while the economy languishes.
A clampdown that coincided with the start of election season in July has been stepped up in recent days. At least 97 members of the Ennahda opposition group were arrested last week and media outlets have received warnings from electoral authorities on their coverage, Amnesty International said Sept. 17.
Zammel’s office said his conviction aims to “disrupt his electoral campaign and prevent him from communicating with Tunisians.” It criticized “an unjustified judicial escalation” that seeks to block his presidential run, and added he faces additional court hearings in other parts of the country on Thursday.
The country’s election commission said Thursday that Zammel’s conviction wouldn’t affect his standing as a candidate since it came after his candidacy was approved, TAP reported citing the commission’s spokesman.
Saied’s only other challenger is Zouhair Maghzaoui, secretary-general of the People’s Movement party. The electoral commission rejected three other potential candidates and ignored a court order to reinstate them.
The rule of Saied, 66, has seen little improvement for an agriculture and tourism-reliant economy that’s grappling with low growth and high youth unemployment. Talks for a $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund rescue package have stalled and authorities have taken the unorthodox step of leaning on the central bank for direct financing of budget and debt repayments.
Still, Fitch Ratings this week upgraded Tunisia’s long-term issuer default rating to CCC+ from CCC-. It cited “increased confidence in the government’s ability to meet its large fiscal financing needs,” in part due to ongoing external financing despite no IMF deal.
But it also warned of Tunisia’s vulnerability to external shocks and high spending commitments that see payrolls, interest and subsidies consume the vast majority of revenue.
--With assistance from Thomas Hall and Souhail Karam.
(Updates with commission saying Zammel’s candidacy unaffected by conviction in graf 7)
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