A Tunisian court said on Friday it had granted the appeal of a would-be presidential hopeful whose candidature had been rejected, allowing him to stand in the October 6 election.
Imed Daimi, who served as an advisor to former president Moncef Marzouki, was among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing.
It marks the third time this week that the administrative court has overturned a decision by the authority barring a candidate.
But the ISIE, which is set to give a final list of presidential candidates next week, has yet to confirm whether they will be in contention.
Candidatures of three hopefuls
So far, the electoral authority has approved the candidatures of three hopefuls, including incumbent President Kais Saied.
The administrative court has granted the appeals of former minister Mondher Zenaidi, opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki, and Daimi.
Daimi, 54, is vice president of the Harak opposition party, whose exiled leader, former president Marzouki, is a critic of Saied.
Marzouki was the first president to be elected in Tunisia following the 2011 uprising that overthrew long-time leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring protests in the region.
If they stand, they would join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel to challenge Saied.
Last February, Marzouki was sentenced to eight years in prison in absentia for seeking to "provoke disorder" in Tunisia. In 2021, he received a four-year sentence for threatening state security.
Saied was democratically elected in 2019 and is seeking a second term.
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