Valget til en grundlovgivende forsamling i landet, hvor det hele begyndte, betragtes som en milepæl for Det arabiske Forår
TUNIS, 22 October 2011: As Tunisians prepare to vote Sunday in the first elections to be held in the wake of this year’s Arab Spring reform movement, UN staff are in place to assist the country to stage the ballots as peacefully and smoothly as possible.
A team of up to 15 United Nations electoral experts has been on the ground in recent months in the North African country to offer advice and support to both Tunisia’s independent electoral authorities as they conduct the polls and to political parties, candidates and civil society groups as they participate in the electoral process – many of them for the first time.
Sundays election for the 217 members of a constituent assembly, which is tasked with drafting a new constitution, is the first of its kind in any North African or Middle Eastern country that has been swept up by the Arab Spring movement. Thousands of candidates are competing.
– It is a pioneering moment, says Mohammed Belhocine, the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Tunisia and the Resident Repre-sentative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
– We know this is being watched all over the world, he says, noting that Tunisians were the first people in the Arab Spring to oust their long-standing government regime.
– We hear that the Arab world is not suited for democracy. But this can show that a smooth, peaceful transition is the only way to go, states he.
– The UN technical support has come at virtually every step of the electoral process, explains Dr. Belhocine, from setting up the legal framework for the polls to accrediting observers to determining the procedures for counting and announcing the results.
UN staff have been placed inside key institutions to work alongside their Tunisian counterparts, giving advice and offering expertise and comparative experiences from other countries to help guide them.
– We always emphasize that our support is impartial, neutral. We do not interfere with the final decision – we just provide them with the knowledge and expertise so they can do the job, says he.
The official says the initial stages of the electoral process earlier this year were difficult, with several misunderstandings between Tunisian electoral authorities and the UN and other outside groups. But he says the relationship has become much more cooperative as the elections have drawn closer.
Dr. Belhocine is confident that Tunisia can have a successful election, citing the population’s high education levels and respect for public institutions as just two examples of why the country is ready.
In the end, however, he stresses that the elections represent only one step in a much longer process to help Tunisia build up the institutions and processes it needs to flourish as a democracy after decades of autocracy.
A process of “electoral consultation” lies ahead, with presidential and parliamentary polls scheduled after that.
– Our assistance does not stop after the election. The situation is still fragile, and we will work with whomever wins to ensure that the administration of elections is carried out with quality, concludes Dr. Belhocine.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
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http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/20-10-11/danmark-stotter-ytringsfriheden-op-til-valg-i-tune
