Category: Politics

The Board of the Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE), on Wednesday, asked the central legal directorate of the ISIE to prepare a draft law amending the authority's executive decree No. 18-2014 on the rules and procedures for candidacy in the presidential elections in order to adapt it to the provisions of article 89 of the 2022 constitution. ISIE spokesman Tlili Mnasri told TAP the ISIE Board examined three points, including the conditions for candidacy, which should be adapted to the new criteria set out in Articles 89 and 90 of the 2022 Constitution, relating to nationality, legal age and civil and political rights. Article 89 of the Constitution states that all Tunisians who do not hold another nationality and who are born of a Tunisian father and mother and paternal and maternal grandparents have the right to stand as a candidate in the presidential elections. Candidates must be at least forty years of age on the date of submission of their candidature and must enjoy their civil and political rig hts. The candidacy is submitted to the ISIE, in accordance with the conditions established by the Electoral Code, as stated in the same article. Article 90 stipulates that the President of the Republic shall be elected for a five-year term by universal, free, direct and secret suffrage by an absolute majority of the votes cast during the last three months of the presidential term. The candidate must be supported by members of the elected assemblies or by the electorate, in accordance with the electoral law. If no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, a second round is held within two weeks of the announcement of the final results of the first round. Only the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the first round shall participate in the second round. In the event of the death of one of the candidates in the first round or of one of the two candidates in the second round, the candidacies shall be reopened and a new election date shall be set within a period not exceeding for ty-five days. Withdrawals of candidacies in the first or second round shall not be taken into account. If the elections cannot be held on the scheduled date because of war or imminent danger, the term of office of the President shall be extended by law until the causes that led to the postponement of the elections have ceased to exist. It is forbidden to hold the office of President of the Republic for more than two full, consecutive or separate terms. In the event of resignation, the current term of office shall be considered a full presidential term. Article 3 of the executive decree stipulates that candidates for the presidential election must be registered on the electoral roll, have Tunisian nationality and be of Muslim faith. Candidates must be at least thirty-five years of age on the day they submit their candidacy and must enjoy their civil and political rights. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Mrs Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Executive for Nabdam in the Upper East Region has charged the Assembly Members of the district to cooperate and collaborate with the District Assembly and other development partners to propel the needed development. She said the district was young and required the dedication, commitment and support of all stakeholders including the Assembly members, to persistently work to bring improvement in the lives of the vulnerable. 'Since the creation of the district in 2012, we have chalked successes on programmes, and projects through popular participation spearheaded by Assembly members and Unit Committee, to serve our people which has translated into development for our people,' she said. The DCE made the call at Nangodi, at the inauguration of the fourth Assembly of the district after the recently held district level elections. She noted that as a district, efforts had been directed, over the years at improving upon the standards of living of the people through various inn ovative and collaborative actions and underscored the need to strengthen efforts to consolidate such gains. Mrs Anamoo said: 'I want to urge both elected and appointed Assembly members who are being inaugurated today to work diligently to bring development to their respective electoral areas and the district as a whole. 'As a district, I wish to assure you that we are committed to channelling all available resources to the development of all the Electoral Areas in the district, to ensure that our shared aspirations to serving our communities and promoting development are realised.' The Nabdam DCE noted that development was a collective effort and appealed to other stakeholders to collaborate with the Assembly members to bring the desired development. A total of 19 Assembly Members comprising 13 elected and six appointed were sworn into office. The new Nabdam District Assembly however, failed to elect a Presiding Member after two rounds of elections. Mr Isaac Wulug, Assemblyman for Zanlerigu-Daliga Elect oral Area and Mr Lawrence Agengre, Assemblyman for Kongo East Electoral Area had eight and 12 votes in each round, respectively. Neither failed to secure the two-third majority of members present and voting as required by the Local Government Act to be elected Presiding Member. Source: Ghana News Agency

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, stressed the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in the development of inter-African trade. In a speech delivered on Wednesday during his participation in the 44th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union, Nabil Ammar also stressed the need to involve the private sector more in the promotion of Afro-African trade and the development of networks between African businessmen. He highlighted the measures taken by Tunisia to implement this major African achievement, in particular the recent accession of the Central Bank of Tunisia to the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nabil Ammar also stressed Tunisia's support for the legal system of this mechanism and its willingness to share its commercial and economic experience with the structures of the African Continental Free Trade Area and with African countries. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The National Liberation Congress (NLC), a new political party, has called for national dialogue on the proposed change in date for the conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections. The NLC called for national consensus on the proposed changes, adding that discussions on the subject should move beyond the Electoral Commission and the Interparty Advisory Committee. Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Stephen Atubiga, Founder and Leader, NLC, said the proposal by the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) 'is good for our democracy'. 'Our democracy has deepened that a church is proposing a date for elections. That is good for our democracy, and we should have a dialogue and see the way forward,' he said. The SDA Church, in a petition to the Electoral Commission, said the elections would have to be moved from the conventional December 7 because the date falls on a Saturday, which would conflict with the Sabbath, a holy day dedicated to the worship of God. The Church said the first or se cond Tuesday would be more convenient to promote inclusive democracy. The Electoral Commission has also proposed a change in the date for presidential and parliamentary elections to allow sufficient time for the Commission to effectively manage its operations, particularly in the event of a run-off. The EC proposed November 7 for the General Election as part of its proposed electoral reforms. Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress has publicly kicked against the move, saying: 'We do not believe that this is being proposed in good faith.' Mr Atubiga cautioned against the use of legal remedies to push for the change in the voting date instead of dialogue. He expressed fear that if the Court granted a request by the SDA, it could serve as a precedent for other faith-based organisations and institutions to push their interests. The NLC also expressed concern over what it described as a surge in ethnocentric and tribal campaigning by representatives of some political parties. The Party said the use of inciteful language against a particular ethnic group could undermine the peace and tolerance that had existed among the various ethnic groups for decades. Mr Atubiga urged political actors to be decorous in their utterances ahead of the elections and encouraged political parties to act against members who stoke ethnic and religious tensions. 'I call on concerned citizens, the National Peace Council, traditional and religious leaders to speak against people who campaign on religious and tribal lines,' he said. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Council of the Independent High Electoral Authority (ISIE) on Wednesday adopted two implementing decrees on the "withdrawal of delegation" and the methods of electing members of the National Council of Regions and Districts. Speaking to reporters, ISIE spokesperson Tlili Mnasri said that the two decrees adopted are the last texts related to the second chamber of parliament, adding that these decrees will soon be published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Tunisia (JORT). Regarding the "withdrawal of delegations", Mnasri said that this concerns all deputies elected to parliament, local and regional councils, district councils and the national council of regions and districts. He added that Decree-Law No. 2022-55, which amends and supplements Organic Law No. 2014-16 on Elections and Referendums, allows the ISIE to determine the methods of withdrawal of delegation and the presentation of the petition. The petition must be signed by 10 MPs from the constituency concerned. According to Mnasri, the ISIE can accept or reject the petition, stating that if it is accepted and the deadlines for appealing to the Administrative Court have expired, elections will be held in the constituency concerned to vote yes or no to the withdrawal of the delegation. Regarding the second executive decree on the methods of electing members of the National Council of Regions and Districts, Mnasri pointed out that after the establishment of the regional councils, one member will be elected for each governorate (regional council) to sit on the district council and 3 members for the regional and district councils. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse