Post: Presidential election 2024: Election observation organisations present their work programme

Tunis: Election observation organisations on Wednesday presented their programme for the observation of the presidential election on October 6, 2024, as well as their working methods during the various stages of the electoral process.The Chahed Observatory is taking part through the 'Observation of the legal framework, candidates' careers and electoral litigation.'The Observatory will deploy 558 observers and 48 coordinators to this end, said Observatory Executive Director Naceur Harrabi.The project involves observing the legal framework of the elections, the progress of candidates since they first announced their intention to run, electoral litigation, the ballot and the counting of ballot papers, he explained.Taking the floor, Amel Ben Khoud, representing the 'Jeunesse Sans Frontières' organisation, which will monitor the electoral campaign in partnership with the Tunisian Mediterranean Centre and 'Ibsar' organisations, said that their work will focus on respect for the principle of equal opportunit ies between candidates, the participation of young people and women, and their access to electoral campaigns.These three organisations will assess the neutrality of public officials and the administration, and will deploy 350 observers on polling day.The 'Mourakiboun' network, for its part, will deploy 750 permanent observers and 279 mobile observers on polling day in the vicinity of polling centres to detect any electoral offences.The Tunisian Organisation for the Defence of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (OTDDPH) will take part in the observation of polling day by deploying 168 observers and 24 regional coordinators to observe the preparation of polling centres in terms of accessibility and access to information, in over 508 polling centres across the country.The partner organisations observing the elections are seven independent organisations which, 'since 2016, have been active in observing, developing and reforming the electoral system and establishing a transparent and fair electoral pr ocess.'They are the Awfia Coalition for Democracy and Integrity of Elections, Ibsar, Jeunesse Sans Frontières, the Mourakiboun Network, the Chahed Observatory, the Tunisian Mediterranean Centre and OTDDPH.Director of Programmes at the Awfia Coalition Brahim Zoghlami said that the general context of the presidential election is one of growing polarisation between supporters and opponents of the new political process, the weak role of political parties, the presence of potential candidates in prison or facing prosecution, and the repeated use of Decree No. 54 in prosecutions.He raised the issue of the absence of the Constitutional Court, considering that 'the absence of the Constitutional Court poses a serious problem in the event of a vacancy in the Presidency of the Republic.'Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse