Vacancies in the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE)’s Board would be filled in the near future, said ISIE spokesperson Mohamed Tlili Mnasri.
At least two members will be appointed in accordance with the law and ensure the quorum to approve the electoral calendar and take the necessary decisions is reached, Mnasri told TAP on the sidelines of an event held at the Kebili governorate headquarters on Monday morning to honour various participants in the electoral demarcation project.
The current four-member ISIE board is active at both the committee and administrative levels. However, it lacks the authority to make decisions. Vacancies need to be filled.
The ISIE has been working on the demarcation of electoral constituencies, using a sophisticated technical and scientific method and an advanced system.
Some 70,000 kilometres of boundaries between constituencies were examined. This led to the division of governorates with fewer than 5 delegations into districts, resulting in a total of 2,155 electoral districts, adding 70 new districts to the existing 2,085 imadas.
This work has been completed pending the issuance of the new delimitation order.
Mnasri further explained that ongoing efforts include meticulous work to link voters to their respective constituencies. This process will continue for a month as part of the implementation of the electoral calendar.
He also said he municipal elections are expected to take place in the first half of December. This forecast takes into account that the current activities of the ISIE require one month for updates, one month for conflict resolution, one week for nominations and 21 days for campaigning.
In addition, legislative by-elections could be scheduled at any time, subject to coordination with Parliament, which continues to function normally.
The legal quorum for Parliament is set at 81 members, so the vacancy has not affected its agenda.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse