Tunisian Opposition Politician Suffers Serious Burns in Acid Attack

Abdellatif Mekki, a prominent Tunisian opposition politician and former health minister, is hospitalized with serious burns after suffering an acid attack at his home, Bloomberg reports.

His Action and Achievement party confirmed the attack on Wednesday, stating that Mekki sustained injuries to his eyes, neck, and face.

The assailant is reportedly a neighbor, according to the party’s statement, which also alleges that previous complaints filed by Mekki against the neighbor and their family were ignored by authorities. The motives behind the attack remain unclear, but the party has urged a thorough investigation.

Mekki, a former member of the Islamist Ennahda party, unsuccessfully attempted to run against President Kais Saied in the October 6th presidential election. He was among several candidates barred from the race by Tunisia’s election authority. Saied, who seized power in 2019, ultimately won the election with a significantly low voter turnout.

The election was heavily criticized, with accusations that Saied manipulated the process to ensure his victory. Several opposition candidates and critics were arrested in the lead-up to the vote. Voter participation was a mere fraction of the electorate, with less than a third of the 9.7 million eligible voters casting ballots – the lowest turnout in a presidential election since Tunisia’s independence from France.