Among those approved are President Kais Saied and Ayachi Zammel, whose campaign team had earlier said had been arrested.

The president faces accusations of trying to restrict the number of those allowed to run against him.

Since he won his first term in 2019 Mr Saied has suspended parliament and concentrated power in his hands.

In a statement, the commission said that the court had not officially communicated its ruling within the deadline.

It was gathered that the authorities had excluded eight other prospective candidates for the 6 October election through prosecution and imprisonment.

Zammel’s campaign team, which said he was accused of falsifying details of those who backed him, dismissed the allegation as absurd.

In 2021, after sacking the prime minister and suspending parliament, President Saied pushed through a new constitution cementing his one-man rule.

The new constitution replaced one drafted soon after the Arab Spring in 2011, which saw Tunisia overthrow late dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. It gave the head of state full executive control and supreme command of the army.

Saied has justified his actions by saying he needed new powers to break a cycle of political paralysis and economic decay.

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