JSF calls for promulgation of law defining prerogatives of local councils

The NGO Jeunesse Sans Frontières (JSF) has called on the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) to promulgate as soon as possible a law defining the prerogatives of local councils in relation to other councils. At a press conference held in Tunis on Monday to present the first observation report on the conduct of the electoral campaign and the run-off local elections, the JSF called on the ISIE to investigate the reasons for the very high abstention rate, while implementing a strategy involving all stakeholders, including civil society, to strengthen constructive and active participation in civic processes. Among its recommendations, the organisation stressed the importance of strengthening controls at polling stations in order to combat electoral propaganda and attempts to influence voters. In this context, the JSF called for increased efforts by the ISIE to monitor the electoral campaign and to ensure that the voters' list and the voters' guide are displayed in front of each polling station to facilitate the voting process. The JSF deployed 230 observers to monitor voting and counting in the governorates of Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous, Manouba, Bizerte, Zaghouan, Beja, Sfax, Gabes, Sousse and Kairouan. The observers were deployed in 106 delegations and 231 imadas (territorial sectors). Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse