Category: Politics

The Independent High Electoral Authority (ISIE) has launched an online platform to present candidates for the local election run-off, said ISIE president Farouk Bouasker. Speaking at a regional meeting in Gabes attended by members of the election commission, run-off candidates, civil society and the media, Bouasker said an agreement had been reached between the ISIE and the Ministry of Youth and Sport to allow candidates to record radio sequences on the web to present their electoral programmes. "Candidates can use these sequences on their Facebook pages," he pointed out. Bouasker also said that the date for the second round of the elections would be set in the next few days, assuring that all councils, in particular the National Council of Regions and Districts, would be in place by the spring of 2024. The president of ISIE said the run-off will cover 780 constituencies and 1,560 candidates will be in the running. They will be divided into 255 local councils. "This run-off will be held in 5,722 polling s tations and involve 4 million 192,000 registered voters," he said, adding that the ISIE had published the electoral register to enable candidates to contact voters during the campaign. Bouasker also called on candidates in the local elections to submit their accounts to the Court of Auditors to avoid the sanctions provided for by law. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar met with Tunisian inventor residing in the United States Jamel Hanbli, who made a presentation on his key inventions. The meeting is part of involving Tunisian experts in the development process and the gradual integration of the national economy into new mechanisms of wealth creation such as the knowledge economy, AI projects and startups, said a ministry statement. Hanbli highlighted the potential that can be harnessed in the field of water resource management and recycling within innovative scientific systems, including vapour systems, "reverse osmosis," and the progress made in establishing "startups" aimed at accessing African markets. For his part, Minister Ammar explained that the vision of focusing attention on Tunisians abroad is based on bringing together the country's experts with international and regional influence within an interactive digital platform. Through this platform, everyone would be involved in their respect ive expertise, within the framework of the implemenaton of development plans. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

President Kais Saied received an invitation from the President of the Republic of Congo and Chair of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya, Dennis Sassou Nguesso, to visit Brazzaville on February 5 for consultations, particularly on Libya. The invitation was presented to the Head of State by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Congolese Abroad of the Republic of Congo, Jean-Claude Gakosso, during a meeting on Friday at the Carthage Palace, the presidency said in a statement. Speaking after the meeting, the minister was quoted in a video released by the presidency as saying "we are here in Tunisia because of burning issues affecting our African continent, including the Libyan file". He noted that Tunisia has played an important role since Libya found itself in such a tragic situation, by receiving refugees and arrivals for treatment and hosting international institutions such as the UN Special Envoy or some diplomatic missions. Gakosso stressed that 'the Libyan file is complex, but it is progressing little by little, and Africa always believes that reconciliation is the most important...' The African official said 'President Saied has provided us with proposals for sustainable and final solutions to this Libyan file.' According to a statement from the presidency, the meeting was an opportunity for the President of the Republic to reaffirm "Tunisia's pride in its African dimension and its commitment to developing relations, cooperation and solidarity with its brothers on the African continent, in a bilateral and multilateral framework". This is based on Tunisia's "deep conviction of the need to strengthen common awareness and develop collective action in order to put an end to conflicts and crises on the continent and build a better future for future generations," he added. The Head of State also took note of the efforts made at the level of the High Level Committee of the African Union, recalling in this context Tunisia's firm position on this issue, based on the need to reach an in ter-Libyan solution without external interference or pressure in order to protect the unity of this country and preserve its security and stability. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Interior Minister Kamel Feki met with United States Ambassador Joey Hood and his accompanying delegation at the headquarters of the Ministry on Friday. The meeting, which was attended by several ministry officials, reviewed areas of ongoing cooperation between the two countries, particularly those within the purview of the Department. Counter-terrorism, organised crime and irregular migration were highlighted, with an emphasis on the exchange of expertise and training initiatives, according to a Ministry press release. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani met on Friday at the Government Palace in Kasbah with ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Tunis Wan Li. The prime minister praised the long-standing and distinguished relations between the two countries and the diplomatic relations that date back to January 10, 1964. He highlighted Tunisia's keenness to further develop these relations in the interests of the two countries and peoples, as confirmed by President Kais Saied and his Chinese counterpart during their meeting at the China-Arab Cooperation Forum held on December 9, 2022. On the anniversary of the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and China, the Prime Minister praised the level of Tunisian-Chinese cooperation, which was embodied in the achievement of a number of Chinese projects in Tunisia, such as the International Diplomatic Academy, the University Hospital in Sfax and the cultural and Youth Complex in Ben Arous. He expressed Tunisia's aspiration to further strengthen the partnership through new projects such as the renovation and restoration of sports facilities, including the El Menzah sports city, the Chedli Zouiten Stadium, the Belvedere swimming pool, the Olympic Stadium in Sousse, as well as studying the possibility of cooperation in major projects. Among these projects are Tunis-Carthage international airport expansion project, the high-speed rail project and the electric bus assembly project, in addition to other projects in the health sector. For his part, the Chinese ambassador noted the level of cooperation between Tunisia and China, stressing his country's readiness to continue joint work, upgrade the level of bilateral cooperation and support its future prospects. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse