ATL Standard

The Carter Center has launched a mission to observe the process surrounding the Dec. 17 parliamentary elections in Tunisia.

The Center — which has monitored several legislative and political processes in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution, starting with the 2011 National Constituent Assembly elections — was invited and accredited to observe this year’s elections by the High Independent Authority for Elections.  

The long-term observation team is composed of a core team based in Tunis and 14 long-term observers, who have deployed in teams of two around the country this October to assess electoral preparations at the regional and local levels and to observe the campaign. The Center will cooperate and engage with key Tunisian stakeholders and other international and domestic citizen observer groups. 

The mission will observe and examine key aspects of the electoral process, including the pre-electoral environment, voter registration, candidate registration, social media, campaigning, and campaign finance. The team also will follow the post-election process, including any legal challenges to the results. 

The Center urges authorities to fully respect the fundamental rights of citizens and candidates guaranteed in the 2022 constitution and in international treaties and commitments agreed to by Tunisia during the electoral period. These include the right to vote and to run for office, and freedom of assembly, opinion, thought, expression, media, and publication, as provided in the Tunisian Constitution and in line with Tunisian commitments and international best practices for democratic elections.  

The Carter Center will provide an independent assessment of the parliamentary electoral process and its compliance with the country’s international commitments, national law, and standards for democratic elections. It will issue a preliminary statement on its findings shortly after election day and a final report at the end of the mission. All statements and reports will be available at www.cartercenter.org.

The Center's election observation missions are conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which provides guidelines for professional and impartial international election observation. The declaration was adopted at a ceremony held at the United Nations in 2005 and has been endorsed by more than 50 election observation groups.  

Original source can be found here.