For the first time since the Arab Spring in 2011, municipal elections were held in Tunisia on 6 May 2018. Over 5 million Tunisians were called on to elect the members of the municipal councils in the 350 municipalities of the country. On that occasion, a delegation from the Congress carried out an electoral assessment visit in Tunisia from 4 to 6 May 2018.
Headed by Xavier CADORET (France, SOC), Congress Rapporteur and substitute thematic spokesperson on the South-Mediterranean Partnership, the delegation also included Stewart DICKSON (United Kingdom, ILDG), Congress thematic spokesperson on observation of local and regional elections, and Luc MARTENS (Belgium, EPP/CCE), substitute Congress representative to the Venice Commission’s Council for Democratic Elections. They were accompanied by Tania Groppi, member of the Congress Group of Independent Experts on the European Charter of Local Self-Government and electoral expert.
On Friday 4 May, the delegation met the Minister for Local Affairs and the Environment, Riadh Mouakhar and the President of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), Mohamed Tlili Mansri. A round table was also held with representatives of organisations of citizen electoral observers "ATIDE" and "Lam Echaml" and with the Director of the National Federation of Tunisian Towns and Cities, Nazek BEN JANNET. In addition, there were a meeting with representatives of the European Union Election Observation Mission as well as with Riccardo BARRANCA, Principal Technical Adviser for UNDP Tunisia, and Nicolas KACZOROWSKI, Country Director for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
On Saturday 5 May, the delegation held an exchange of views with representatives of the political parties and the candidates standing in the local elections on 6 May in Tunis.
On Election Day, three Congress teams were deployed to various regions in the country to observe voting and counting.
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