TUNIS: A potential Tunisian presidential candidate on Friday received an eight-month prison sentence and lifetime ban from running for office, reports said, with NGOs warning of increasing obstacles for President Kais Saied’s opponents.

Lotfi Mraihi, head of left-wing opposition Republican People’s Union, was arrested on July 3 on suspicion of corruption.

In addition to the prison sentence, Mraihi, who announced his candidacy in early April, was given a lifetime ban from standing in any election, Tunisian media said. Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019 but launched a sweeping power grab in 2021, has yet to announce whether he will seek a second term, though many believe he will.

A number of his opponents who announced their candidacy for the election expected in October are currently either in prison or being prosecuted.

Abir Moussi, a vocal critic of Saied and head of the Free Destourian Party, has been jailed since October last year.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2024