Category: National

Voting in the first round of December 24 local elections failed to take place in 26 constituencies, Mouakiboun said, contrary to figures advanced by the Independent High Authority for Elections (French : ISIE). The election commission said earlier it was impossible to hold polls in two districts, namely Borj El Khadhra and Galite Islands. President of Mourakiboun Slim Bouzid Monday told a press conference in Tunis voters cast their ballots in 2,129 electoral districts. Voting was not held in 24 constituencies as candidates failed to show up. Several offences were reported, mainly attempts to influence voters and campaigining in the vicinity of polling stations. The network also took note of the absence of representatives of candidates in 65% of polling places at their opening and during the polling day (44%). The general turnout rate did not exceed 11.8% (with a 0.8% margin of error). 3% of votes were spoilt ( a margin of error of 0.3%) and 1.6% blank (0.2% margin of error). Mourakiboun deployed 27 obse rvers in the process of sortition adopted for candidates with disabilities to 27 vote compilation centres. 11% of venues for sortition were not accessible for candidates with disabilities in Kairouan, Manounba and Kairouan. There were unaccredited persons in 19% of venues for selection by sortition. Sign language interpreters were deployed in only four venues in Jendouba, Sousse, Sidi Bouzid and Kébeli. The various mechanisms adopted to step up the pace of election campaign (public and private sector media, local and community radio stations) only targeted candidates among people with disabilities, the network further said. Election promises put forward by candidates have no legal foundation as there is no piece of legislation which sets out the prerogatives of local councils. This will undermine the credibility of these pledges. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Voting in the first round of December 24 local elections failed to take place in 26 constituencies, Mouakiboun said, contrary to figures advanced by the Independent High Authority for Elections (French : ISIE). The election commission said earlier it was impossible to hold polls in two districts, namely Borj El Khadhra and Galite Islands. President of Mourakiboun Slim Bouzid Monday told a press conference in Tunis voters cast their ballots in 2,129 electoral districts. Voting was not held in 24 constituencies as candidates failed to show up. Several offences were reported, mainly attempts to influence voters and campaigining in the vicinity of polling stations. The network also took note of the absence of representatives of candidates in 65% of polling places at their opening and during the polling day (44%). The general turnout rate did not exceed 11.8% (with a 0.8% margin of error). 3% of votes were spoilt ( a margin of error of 0.3%) and 1.6% blank (0.2% margin of error). Mourakiboun deployed 27 obse rvers in the process of sortition adopted for candidates with disabilities to 27 vote compilation centres. 11% of venues for sortition were not accessible for candidates with disabilities in Kairouan, Manounba and Kairouan. There were unaccredited persons in 19% of venues for selection by sortition. Sign language interpreters were deployed in only four venues in Jendouba, Sousse, Sidi Bouzid and Kébeli. The various mechanisms adopted to step up the pace of election campaign (public and private sector media, local and community radio stations) only targeted candidates among people with disabilities, the network further said. Election promises put forward by candidates have no legal foundation as there is no piece of legislation which sets out the prerogatives of local councils. This will undermine the credibility of these pledges. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Speaker of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP), Brahim Bouderbala, reaffirmed the Parliament's commitment to continuing cooperation with the National People's Congress of China during his meeting on Monday with President of the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU), Ji Bingxuan, who is also the former Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. He underlined the key role of parliamentary relations in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation within a framework of consultation and mutual respect, according to a Parliament statement. Bouderbala highlighted the long-standing historical relations between Tunisia and China, which he described as "a favourable basis for robust and continuous cooperation in the economic, social, health, academic and cultural fields". He praised the scale and quality of China's support for Tunisia, particularly in the fields of trade and tourism. For his part, Ji Bingxuan underlined the deep-rooted relations between the two countries, which make Tunisia a special partner for China. He reaffirmed the commitment to continuous cooperation based on the principles of friendship and mutual respect, which is witnessing an escalating trend in various fields. He expressed China's determination to continue in this direction, according to the same statement. He also stated that the purpose of his visit, together with the accompanying delegation, was to explore ways of further developing cooperation and opening up new prospects, particularly in the fields of culture and tourism, given the similarities between the two nations in terms of the richness and diversity of their cultural and civilisational heritage. He mentioned the preparations made during the visit for the launch of a cultural activity based on dialogue between Tunisian and Chinese civilisations, as a starting point for deeper cooperation in this field. He also stressed China's willingness to continue supporting Tunisia thr ough economic and social projects, intensifying investment programmes and encouraging the participation of Chinese institutions. He also referred to Tunisia's "political stability, democratic climate, advanced legal system and abundant resources such as phosphate and olive oil, as well as the competence of the Tunisian people". The Chinese official stressed the continuity of bilateral relations at the same pace, unaffected by current global developments and changes, based on the strong foundations and the mutual desire of the leaders of both countries to nurture and enrich these relations. Stressing the importance of parliamentary relations and the need for joint efforts to further strengthen them, he conveyed the greetings of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China to the Speaker of the ARP. In this context, he invited the Speaker to visit China at the head of a parliamentary delegation to enhance parliamentary relations between the two c ountries. The meeting also discussed current developments in the Arab and international arenas, including the situation in Palestine. The Chinese delegation included the charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Tunis, the deputy head of CAFIU, the former deputy foreign minister of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the general manager of the Chinese Publishing Group, vice chairman of the International Confucian Association, the deputy secretary-general of CAFIU and the head of the department, coordinator and translator of CAFIU. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Chahed Observatory has recorded electoral offences during the first round of the local elections "that could amount to electoral crimes", according to Naceur Harabi, executive director of the Observatory. Speaking at a press conference in Tunis on Monday with organisations involved in election monitoring, Harabi said that representatives of candidates had influenced the will of voters at polling stations. In addition, he said, violations of the secrecy of the ballot were recorded in several polling stations in different regions of the country. In addition, Harabi said that Chahed's observers recorded a partial malfunction of the official mobile application designed to automatically record voter turnout (194) in several polling stations. With regard to the drawing of lots for candidates in the category of people with disabilities, the executive director of Chahed considered that the operations had taken place "in full transparency", in the presence of officials from regional bodies under the ISIE, civi l society observers and journalists. Naceur Harabi said that the turnout was "low", pointing to a lack of interest among young voters. For her part, Oula Ben Néjma, president of Chahed, stressed the need to take into account the recommendations made by civil society associations on the conduct of the elections. She called for the prosecution of anyone involved in electoral crimes or abuses during the campaign, on the day of the poll or on polling day. For the first round of local elections, the Chahed Observatory deployed 44 regional coordinators and 503 field observers in the constituencies. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Ahlem Nsiri, representative of the Tunisian Mediterranean Centre, which focuses on women's participation in elections, said the number of women candidates in the local elections did not exceed 939, including 138 direct candidates (people with disabilities). She recalled that the rate of rejection of women candidates was more than 10%. Nsiri reported that most women candidates did not appeal against the rejection of their candidacies. It explained this attitude by the obstacle of the geographical distance that separates them from the courts in their regions and, according to her, certain complexities contained in the electoral law. During its observation of the election campaign, the Centre noted a reticence in terms of activities, which were limited to field visits and direct communication with voters in markets and on the streets. The Centre reported that 85% of women candidates did not have a budget for their campaigns and that 50% of them relied on social media. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse