EU to boycott legislatives in Tunisia

The European Union, EU, will shun the legislatives elections to take place in Tunisia on December 17 as it questions recent political development in the North African country.

“Legislative elections will be held in Tunisia on December 17, 2022. The European Parliament will not observe this electoral process, and therefore will not comment on the process or the results. No individual member of the European Parliament has been given a mandate to observe or comment on this election process on behalf of the Parliament. If a member of the European Parliament decides to observe these elections, he or she will do so on his or her own initiative and should not in any way, by statement or action, associate his or her participation in the European Parliament,” the bloc said in a statement.

“The Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group has been following recent political and socio-economic developments in Tunisia. These include the decision of the African Court of Human Rights on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the respect of civil and political rights in the country, as well as the urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional and legislative framework for referendums and elections,” the statement added.

Tunisians are called to polls for snap elections to renew the parliament dissolved this year by President Kais Saied after he suspended the house on July 25 last year in a move he considered urgent to restore the country.

The action was condemned by the opposition, rights groups as well as international organizations and foreign partners of the North African country.

After dissolving the parliament Saied submitted on July 25 this year a new constitution to referendum but boycotted by the opposition though results said over 90 per cent validated it.

Critics of the referendum argued that the new constitution is tailored for Saied and seeks to sideline core political forces including powerful and popular Ennahdha.