Tunisia - Three candidate files for the October 6 presidential elections have been initially accepted, announced the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE).

The three candidates: Zouhair Meghzaoui, Kais Saied and Ayachi Zammel have been initially accepted to run in the next presidential elections, ISIE President Farouk Bouasker said in a press conference held on Saturday.

The remaining 14 files have been rejected, he added.

Zouhair Meghzaoui submitted 11 valid parliamentary endorsements from members of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP), and Kais Saied submitted 248,467 valid citizen endorsements in his candidacy file, distributed over 135 electoral districts with at least 500 voters in each, in addition to 294 parliamentary endorsements from members of the two chambers and heads of elected local communities.

Candidate Ayachi Zammel presented 10,457 valid citizens' recommendations, spread over 10 constituencies with at least 500 voters in each.

The head of the ISIE explained that the commission's board had approved the rejection of 14 candidates' files for the next presidency because they did not have the required number of endorsements, or did not have the required financial guarantee for their candidacy, or did not meet the required nationality requirements.

And this though these "deficiencies" had been notified to those concerned within the prescribed time limits.

Bouasker stressed that the decisions taken by the Commission's Bureau were "sound" and that the rejection of these candidacies was not "based on the absence of a criminal record, contrary to what has been reported", stressing that the rejection of these candidacies was "based on solid legal grounds".

He pointed out that the rejected candidates are informed of the decisions of the Commission's Board, which explains the reasons for the rejection.

Bouasker added that more than 150 agents of the Commission had examined more than 300,000 citizens' endorsements submitted by the 17 candidates, who, according to him, "have the right to go to court to challenge the rejection decisions".

All of these citizens' endorsements are kept by the commission and are pending before the courts "in case of skepticism".

With regard to the 305 parliamentary endorsements submitted by candidates Kais Saied and Zouhair Maghzaoui, Bouasker said that the electoral commission would publish the lists of these parliamentary endorsements and, as of Monday, August 12, "set up an electronic service for voters to verify their endorsements for all candidates".

Bouasker denied that the failure of candidates to collect the required endorsements was due to the territorial division adopted, the time allowed or the number of endorsements per constituency, which is 500.

The Electoral Commission is expected to announce the final list of candidates for the 2024 presidential elections no later than 4 September and the campaign will begin inside and outside Tunisia on the 14th of the same month. Election day will be Sunday, October 6, 2024 for the elections in Tunisia, while voters outside Tunisia will go to the polls on 4, 5 and 6 October.

The preliminary results of these elections are expected to be announced on 9 October, according to the head of the ISIE.

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