A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has made a pre-electoral visit to Tunis to evaluate the electoral campaign prior to elections to Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly on 23 October 2011. The delegation met Mouldi Kefi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ridha Bellhadj, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, Yadh Ben Achour, President of the Higher Political Reform Commission, the leaders of the main political parties taking part in the elections, the Secretary General of the Higher Independent Body for Elections, as well as representatives of the international community and non-governmental organisations.

The pre-electoral delegation notes with satisfaction that the Tunisian authorities have swiftly devised a legal framework for organising pluralist elections and, in this respect, it encourages them to step up cooperation with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission. The effective and transparent functioning of electoral administration is a decisive factor in guaranteeing the democratic nature of the entire electoral process and strengthening the confidence of political players and citizens in the elections. (more...)