Parties discuss necessary measures for successful elections in Tunis

Tunisian political analyst Salah El Din Al Jourchi considered the elections of the Constituent Assembly a "historical and pivotal place for determining the democratic future of Tunisia, but surrounded by a host of risks that political parties should avoid." During a seminar organized in Tunisia by the "Institute for the Study of Islam and Democracy in Washington" Jourchi discussed the "ways to the success of the electoral process.” He mentioned the risks in a number of points that are primarily in the "entry of political parties out of personal gain which led to the electrical strive in turning into a conflict between personalities rather than political programs.” The second of these risks is corruption and fraud in the elections that cannot be restricted except through a strict law and transparency in the funding of the political parties, with the need to expose all who are involved in cases of fraud, financial corruption or bribery, which can be received through accepting suspicious funds. On the other hand, Jourchi warned political parties of what he called “falling into the trap of distorting the political opponents and the mistrust mentality.” This phenomenon can only be addressed through the respect of the ethics of fair competition, and keeping religion away from the political conflict, which requires a "neutralization of the mosques from political competition." The second President of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, stressed the need to fight "tribal conflicts" which are the biggest danger that might beset the coming date of the 23rd of October elections. He said that "Tunisia is what brings us together not tribes or parties; Tunisia is bigger than anything and can contain its entire people regardless of their diversity.” Months ago, Tunisia suffered of loose security due to tribal conflicts, which broke out from time to time in many parts of the country, especially the southern parts. The latest were incidents of violence and sabotage in the cities of Jbeniana and Almsatria in the governorate of Sfax, which caused the wounds of dozens of people. Jourchi called on all political parties to exercise a high degree of responsibility to ensure the success of the elections that will result in a Constituent Assembly representing the various political spectrums that shapes Tunisian society. To ensure a democratic, peaceful and fair representation, the President of the Constituent Institute of The Renaissance Movement Ali El Areed said in a statement to "Arabs Today”: "the electoral path that we want to take needs successful condition and is a part of the democratic transition process.” He added that: "the election of the National Constituent Assembly, whichhas now become of interest to everyone, will be the highest legitimate institute elected by Tunisians to oversee the transition of a new phase with its full aspects, including the enactment of laws, forming the government, following-up with it, and selecting an interim President and supervision of him. He also stressed that the new transiting phase which will culminate in legislative and presidential elections, requires several conditions, most notably the clarity of the agenda, its persistence and sticking to it. The agenda is obvious so far in the presence of the will to conduct elections in the time scheduled, along with clarity of purpose of this institution, which will work on the transition phase. El Areed also stressed in his statement the importance of the commitment needed from everyone, including the political parties, government, media and the various components of the civil society of the democratic transition on the 23rd of October with the need to put an end to all the fears and provide the maximum possible commitment for maintaining success. This he said, could be attained through the punctuality, cooperation and dialogue for the elections’ success within the framework of integration and commitment, particularly with regard to the rules and ethics of the campaign and without failure of its programs, to balance the level of dialogue between them. Ali El Areed renewed the rejection of the “Renaissance Movement,” which is Islamic-oriented of a partisan propaganda in mosques, and a commitment to a unified agreement on the objectives of the revolution." On its part, the Renewal Movement, with communist tendencies, stated that it is necessary to pass the culture of conflict and hostility to the stage of consensus on national goals and express them in a civilized manner. The First Secretary of the Movement Juneidi Abdel-Gawad said: "There are goals we share in order for the democratic process path to succeed. We must support the consolidation of pluralism in society to be an irreversible fact, and train Tunisians to know how to make the right decision among the multiple choices. Moreover, the structure of the transitional authorities must perform its functions perfectly, because there is no point in supporting or opposing the interim government, especially as the Supreme Institute For Accomplishing the Revolution’s Goals is the ideal framework for the success of the democratic process, because it has a broad representation of the components of the political spectrum. Also, it’s the only authorized structure to issue decrees to manage the transitional phase." Abdul Jawad also called on the government and political parties to take urgent action to respond to the demands of those impoverished, and the fight against unemployment, poverty and marginalization.