Tunisian Politicians Accused of Electoral Crimes Face Financial Penalties, Imprisonment

Tunisian President Kais Saied takes the oath of office in Tunis, Tunisia, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
Tunisian President Kais Saied takes the oath of office in Tunis, Tunisia, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
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Tunisian Politicians Accused of Electoral Crimes Face Financial Penalties, Imprisonment

Tunisian President Kais Saied takes the oath of office in Tunis, Tunisia, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
Tunisian President Kais Saied takes the oath of office in Tunis, Tunisia, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo

High-profile politicians in Tunisia, including former prime ministers, political party leaders and ex-ministers, who have been accused of “election crimes”, are facing financial penalties and prison sentences.

If convicted, the politicians may also be barred from running in elections or holding public office in the future.

According to critics of President Kais Saied, opening the file of alleged electoral violations could eliminate competitors, who are expected to run against him in the 2024 electoral race, such as former President Moncef Marzouki and ex-PM Youssef Chahed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the vice president of the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) said that the Tunisian electoral law calls for financial penalties against candidates who have committed electoral crimes, and prison sentences of up to five years for presidential candidates who received funds from abroad during the election campaign.

He added that the same law imposes a penalty of freezing membership for those who won the elections after receiving foreign funding, in addition to depriving them from running for elections for a period of five years starting from the date of the ruling.

Saied had responded to accusations of receiving foreign funds during his election campaign, by saying that the only amount he paid during the 2019 elections was 50 Tunisian dinars (about $18). He also asserted that he refused to obtain the public funding, which is provided by the state for the presidential candidates.

The Workers’ Party led by Hamma Hammami, who is accused of committing electoral crimes, said he was surprised that the Tunisian president’s name was not included in the list of beneficiaries of political advertising and illegal propaganda, despite the electoral irregularities attributed to his campaign in the report of the Court of Auditors.

According to the report, Saied’s electoral campaign team had committed numerous electoral violations, in addition to creating 30 propaganda websites or accounts in Tunisia and abroad.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."