The Tunisian Administrative Court has overturned the rejection of a former Minister's bid for the presidency, allowing him to participate in the upcoming election on October 6.

Mondher Znaidi, 73, a prominent opponent of incumbent President Kais Saied, was initially among 14 candidates disqualified by the High Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE) due to insufficient ballot signatures.

Court spokesperson Faycel Bouguerra announced that the administrative court accepted Znaidi's appeal, overturning the ISIE's decision. He informed Reuters that the court's decision was final and could not be appealed.

Znaidi, a former minister who served under the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted in the 2011 mass protests, currently resides in Paris. He has expressed his intention to "rebuild Tunisia, unite all Tunisians and end years of division that Saied sowed."

Earlier in the week, the court had also granted an appeal by another disqualified candidate, former minister Abdellatif Mekki.

The ISIE has not yet confirmed Znaidi's candidacy, with a final list of candidates expected next week.

Farouk Bouasker, head of the ISIE, told local media that the authority's council would review these rulings before making a decision on the final candidate list, taking into account the judicial judgments.

So far, the ISIE has approved only three candidates, including former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel, who will challenge Saied.

The incumbent president, who was elected in 2019 and later consolidated power in 2021, is seeking a second term. Many of his political opponents are currently imprisoned or facing prosecution.

In another development, the court rejected on Thursday an appeal by Abir Moussi, a jailed presidential hopeful and vocal critic of Saied.

Human Rights Watch last week reported that Tunisian authorities "have prosecuted, convicted or imprisoned at least eight prospective candidates" for the October election

Tunisia was "gearing up for a presidential election amid increased repression of dissent and free speech, without crucial checks and balances on President Saied's power," HRW indicated.

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