A Tunisian court has cleared former Minister Mondher Znaidi to participate in the upcoming presidential election on October 6, Al Jazeera reported.
The Tunisian Administrative Court upheld Znaidi’s appeal on Thursday, overturning the Independent Higher Election Authority’s (ISIE) decision to disqualify him from the race due to insufficient ballot signatures.
Previously, the ISIE had barred 14 candidates from running for president and is expected to release the final list of candidates next week.
Current President Kais Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019, has been criticized for imprisoning numerous political opponents and critics, many of whom remain incarcerated.
Znaidi has held other government jobs, including the minister of public health, transport and commerce, and secretary of state for trade and industry.
The well-versed former minister is seen as a significant contender in this year’s election, potentially drawing votes from major opposition parties in Tunisia, including Ennahdha, which was the largest party in Tunisia’s parliament before Saied dissolved it in July 2021.
Meanwhile, other opponents of Saied, such as Abir Moussi, remain detained. The Administrative Court announced on Thursday that it had rejected an appeal by Moussi.