Tunisian police have arrested presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel on charges of lying about details of his campaign for next month's election, his team told local media Monday.
Zammel, one of three candidates approved to stand in the October 6 poll, was taken to a police station outside the capital Tunis, campaigner Mahdi Abdeljaouad told Mosaique FM radio.
Tunisian authorities have not reacted to this development.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the North African country of blocking rivals of President Kais Saied from standing.
Saied, who is seeking a second term, has been in power since 2019.
Eligibility requirements
Abdeljaouad said Zammel was suspected of "falsifying" the endorsement signatures required under Tunisian law to show he has enough support to stand.
The treasurer of his Azimoun party was arrested last month on similar charges and, according to local media, will stand trial on September 13.
To appear on the ballot, candidates are required to present a list of signatures either from 10,000 registered voters, 10 parliamentarians, or 40 local officials.
Several would-be candidates have been accused of forging these signatures.
'Suppressing opposition'
HRW has said at least eight prospective candidates have been "prosecuted, convicted, or imprisoned."
In addition to the three candidates already approved to stand, three more have successfully appealed against their disqualification, paving the way for them to run.
The election authority, ISIE, is due to issue a final list of candidates this week.
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