Tunisian President Kais Saied has granted a presidential pardon to former presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel, who had been handed prison sentences totaling more than 30 years in several separate cases, according to local reports.
The Tunisian presidency announced on Thursday that more than 2,400 prisoners had been pardoned, but did not release the names of those included. Local media later identified Zammel as one of the beneficiaries.
Zammel, a businessman and former lawmaker, was one of only two candidates permitted to challenge Saied in Tunisia’s 2024 presidential election. He was arrested shortly after election authorities approved his candidacy.
He was later convicted in multiple cases, including allegations of forging voter signatures required to qualify for the election. The combined sentences exceeded 30 years in prison.
Despite his legal troubles, Zammel remained on the ballot and secured about 7% of the vote. Saied won the election with more than 90% of the votes cast.
The presidential pardon also reportedly covers Wadie Jary, the former president of the Tunisian Football Federation, who was sentenced to four years in prison on corruption charges in 2024.
Saied, who was first elected in 2019, has faced growing international criticism since 2021, when he dissolved parliament, expanded his executive powers and introduced a new constitution.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused his administration of weakening democratic institutions and restricting civil liberties, with many opposition figures either imprisoned or living in exile.