TUNIS: A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election.
Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.
They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.
The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.
If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied, whom critics accuse of authoritarianism.
Saied was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021.
A number of his political opponents and critics are currently in jail or being prosecuted.
Saturday’s petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.
It called the administrative court “the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”
The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, “taking into consideration judicial judgments already pronounced.”
This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.
The administrative court’s rulings on appeals “are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.
It called on the electoral authority to “respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”
Last week, Human Rights Watch said Tunisian authorities “have prosecuted, convicted or imprisoned at least eight prospective candidates” for October’s vote.
HRW said that the North African country was “gearing up for a presidential election amid increased repression of dissent and free speech, without crucial checks and balances on President Saied’s power.”
Tunisia groups urge inclusion of rejected candidates in poll
https://arab.news/p58ej
Tunisia groups urge inclusion of rejected candidates in poll
Moroccan lawyers protest bill they say threatens profession’s independence
- The government has presented the draft law as a means of “modernizing” the legal profession with anti-corruption measures
RABAT: Thousands of lawyers demonstrated on Friday outside Morocco’s parliament in Rabat, calling for the withdrawal of a draft law they said threatened their immunity and independence.
Dressed in black robes, they waved banners and chanted slogans against the bill, which is currently under parliamentary review.
The government has presented the draft law as a means of “modernizing” the legal profession with anti-corruption measures.
But the lawyers say some of its provisions could curtail their protections.
A main point of contention is the provision to grant the courts direct disciplinary power over lawyers. Normally, disciplinary matters are handled internally by the bar association.
“Our demand is simply the withdrawal of the draft law,” said Omar Mahmoud Bendjelloun, 49, from the Moroccan bar association, adding that the bill would “subjugate” the legal profession.
Lawyer Karima Salama, 47, called for “a participatory approach” to reforming the profession.
Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said during a parliamentary session on Tuesday that he was “ready to renounce, modify or reform anything that harms lawyers.”
Still, the minister insisted that “lawyering needs to change, and I will implement that change.”
