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.



Suspected US Airstrikes Kill at Least 6 People in Yemen

Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Suspected US Airstrikes Kill at Least 6 People in Yemen

Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Light breaks through the sky as US airstrikes strike a plastic materials factory on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 13 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Suspected US airstrikes around Yemen's Houthi-held capital killed at least six people and wounded 26 overnight, the Houthis said Monday as they also claimed shooting down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone.

Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of US airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the Houthis over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war — has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis' Health Ministry.

Footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they described as being sparked by the airstrikes. Rubble littered a street as rescuers carried one person away from the site, which the group claimed was a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar neighborhood of Sanaa, the capital.

The US military’s Central Command, which oversees American military operations, did not acknowledge the strikes. That follows a pattern for the command, which now has authorization from the White House to conduct strikes at will in the campaign that began March 15.

The American military also hasn’t been providing any information on targets hit. The White House has said over 200 strikes have been conducted so far.

Houthis claim another American drone shot down

The Houthis separately claimed Sunday night they shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen's Hajjah governorate, which sits to the northwest of the country on the Red Sea on the country's border with Saudi Arabia.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, described the downing in a prerecorded video message as the fourth in two weeks by the group. Saree said the Houthis targeted the drone with “a locally manufactured missile.” They have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.

Iran denies arming the group, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi group despite a United Nations arms embargo.

General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. They have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.

Central Command said it was aware of “reports” of the drone being shot down, but did not elaborate.

US strikes come as part of monthlong intense campaign

An AP review has found the new US operation against the Houthis under President Donald Trump appears more extensive than that under former President Joe Biden, as Washington moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel and dropping bombs on cities.

The new campaign of airstrikes started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The group has loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.

The Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships without success.

The US campaign shows no signs of stopping, as the Trump administration has also linked its airstrikes on the Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.