Tunisian politician Ayachi Zammel, a candidate in the upcoming October 6 Presidential Election, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, his lawyer Abdessater Messoudi revealed on Tuesday.
Zammel, who leads a small liberal party, was convicted in four cases related to voter endorsements. Despite the court ruling, his lawyer confirmed that Zammel remains a candidate in the election.
The frontrunner in the race is incumbent President Kais Saied, who has held office since 2019 and has since expanded his powers by dissolving parliament.
Zammel is one of only three candidates approved by Tunisia’s Electoral Authority, ISIE, to challenge Saied, after rejecting the bids of 14 others. In a previous ruling, Zammel received a 20-month prison sentence for similar charges.
