TUNISIA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THREE MONTH COUNTDOWN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000557 SIPDIS NEA/MAG (MHAYES) LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM TS SUBJECT: TUNISIA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THREE MONTH COUNTDOWN REF: A. TUNIS 284 ¶B. TUNIS 167 ¶C. 08 TUNIS 1128 ¶D. 08 TUNIS 298 Classified By: Charge Marc Desjardins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) SUBJECT: Tunisia,s Presidential Elections Three Month Countdown -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Tunisian Presidential and Legislative elections (Chamber of Deputies) are scheduled for October 25. The outcome of the Presidential election is a foregone conclusion, and issimply a question of how large a win the GOT will declare for President Ben Ali. The President was been collecting endorsements for over a year but the official campaign season is limited to the two weeks before the election. The opposition parties are, for the most part, resigned to the presidential outcome and are jockeying among themselves to see what percentage of the 53 Parliamentary seats reserved for the opposition they can win. The remaining 159 seats will go to the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD). A few of the parties are to a limited extent trying to challenge or expose the government's control over the election by pushing the limits imposed on campaigning and challenging the restrictions on presidential candidates. So far, the GOT has refused to allow any independent international election monitors. A National Election Observatory has been established, as in previous elections, which will draft a post-election report for the President. End Summary. -------------- Election Preparations Proceed -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Preparations for the elections are moving ahead. The date for the Presidential elections is set by the constitution on the last Sunday in October, this year October ¶25. In theory, there could be a second round if no single party were to win an absolute majority the first time. Citizens living abroad will be able to vote starting October 17-24. President Ben Ali, who announced his candidacy last year at the RCD Party Congress, has in effect already been campaigning, mostly through posters and obtaining endorsements, for over a year., The actual campaign season is limited by the electoral code to the 15 days just before election day and closes 24 hours before voting begins. Campaigning is done by party list, which have to be approved by the Constitutional Council (appointed by Ben Ali) before a party can run campaign messages. In the past the Constitutional Council has effectively prevented parties from campaigning by not approving the list. Party campaign messages also have to be approved by the Ministry of Interior. ¶3. (SBU) The GOT announced July 28 the creation of the National Election Observatory. Abdelwahab Bahi, former President of the Bar Association and head of the 2004 Presidential and 2005 legislative election monitoring observatories was named again to head the committee. He has appointed a group of 27 magistrates, lawyers, and political figures to help him follow and note violations of the campaign and election laws. Among them are: Borhan Bsaies a journalist who serves as the GOT's spokesperson on Al Jazeera; Abdallah Helali, former president of the national appeals court appointed by Ben Ali; Abdelhamid Riahi, senior chief editor of As Shourouq, a pro-government newspaper; Hatem Kotrane, a member of the government's Committee for Human Rights and Essential Liberties. The organization will be responsible for writing a report to the President on the management of the elections. The report written after the 2004 elections was never published; only excerpts were made available during a press conference. In addition the Tunisian Human Rights League and the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists have both announced their intentions to create election monitoring committees. Attempts by the European Union to enlist GOT interest in EU election monitors have been met with silence. The EU will not attempt to send monitors unless there is a formal request by the GOT. ¶4. (U) The ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) announced July 28 that Minister of State Abdelaziz Ben Dhia would be the party's election coordinator with the support of 26 other senior party members including the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Transport; and various Secretaries of State, Senior Advisors to the President and others. These government officials will not have to renounce their government positions during the campaign. They will be organized in eight subcommittees headed as follows: Political Speech - Minister of State Abdelaziz Ben Dhia Organization/Supervision - Minister of Interior Rafik Belhaj Kacem Political Map - Foued M'bazaa, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Fund Raising - Abdallah Kallel, Speaker of the Chamber of Advisors Information and Propaganda - Ahmed Iyadh Ouderni, President's Chief-of-Staff Pamphlets and Publications - Alifa Farouk, RCD Political Bureau Manager Support and Election Campaign - Mohamed Ghariani, RCD Secretary General Guests - Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelwaheb Abdallah ¶5. (SBU) Who Can Vote: In 2008 the President lowered the voting age to 18 from 20, during the "Year of Youth." Anyone can vote, including citizens living abroad, except those serving in the security services, convicted criminals, people institutionalized, in bankruptcy, or under judicial proceedings. Individuals can register to vote at their local town hall at specific times during the year. The problem for those actually interested in voting is whether or not an they areallowed to register, or whether their documents are accepted or are lost. Even after they have registered sometimes they never actually receive their election card. -------------- The Presidential Candidates -------------- ¶6. (U) In March 2008 Ben Ali announced a ONE time, for this election only, amendment to the constitution to change the requirements for presidential candidates (Ref D). The change, requiring party candidates to be the elected leader of their party for at least two years, effectively knocked three potential opposition candidates out of the running: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) leader Najib Chabbi, Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties (FDTL) leader Muastapha Ben Jaafr, and Green Party for Progress (PVP) Green Party for Progress Monji Khamassi. ¶7. (C) Despite the legal obstacles, PDP and FDTL are still plannning to run candidates. Thus, five parties, plus the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD),will nominate candidates: Popular Unity Party (PUP) Secretary General Mohamed Boushiha; Renewal Movement (et-Tajdid) Secretary General Ahmed Brahim; Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) Secretary General Ahmed Inoubli; FDTL Secretary General Mustapha Ben Jaafar; and PDP former Secretary General Najib Chebi. PDP has been debating internally whether or not the current Secretary General, Maya Jribi, should run instead of Najib Chebbi but for now Chebi remains the party's candidate. Chebbi told Acting P/E Chief July 27 that he also plans to defy Article 62 of the electoral code prohibiting politicians from using international television networks or media for their campaigns. He was willing to accept the potential fine of TD 25,000 ($ 18,000). The parties will have to present their presidential candidates to the Constitutional Council for approval between August 26 and September 24. Legislative candidates are to be presented September 20-26. -------------- Support for Ben Ali -------------- ¶8. (C) Three of the "loyal opposition" parties have declared their support for Ben Ali's candidacy: the Social Liberal Party (PSL),the Social Democratic Movement (MDS),and the Green Party for Progress (PVP),and will not be running candidates. July 16 the National Tunisian Workers Union (UGTT) declared its support for Ben Ali. It also gave its support to Ben Ali in the 2004 elections. However at that time the decision was made by an actual vote of the union's National Administrative Council. This time the decision was announced by the National Administrative Council after an acclamation of support. Kalima, an on-line news source, reported July 18 that 12 of the regional offices and sector unions of the UGTT had protested the decision (the regional offices of Sfax, Kairouan, Mahdia, Ben Arous, Jendouba and unions in the sectors of primary and secondary education, health, communications, postal, youth, and university medical doctors). However, once the UGTT declared its support for Ben Ali, other major associations started to announce their support as well including the industry and commerce association (UTICA); the agricultural and fishing union, (UTAP); and the women's association(UNFT). -------------- Legislative Elections -------------- ¶9. (C) A March 24 Chamber of Deputies amendment to the electoral code increased the overall number of seats in the Parliament from 189 to 212. Simultaneously, it increased the percentage of seats reserved for opposition parties from 20 to 25 percent (from 37 seats to 53),and reduced the percentage the RCD can receive from 80 to 75 percent (from 152 seats to 159 seats). The change was engineered by amending Article 72 of the electoral code to reduce the number of citizens represented by each seat from 52,500 to 48,700. The 53 seats allowed to the opposition will be divided among the parties based on their results in the elections. Some of the parties say even this step is not transparent since the GOT will essentially determine how many votes each party will "win." ¶10. (C) PDP has determined that it will run a list of candidates in the legislative election reversing its position in the 2004 elections. PDP has suffered from not having any seat in the Parliament during the last four years, and therefore has not been receiving any government funding. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) Election fever, such as it is in Tunisia, is starting. The interest is mainly among the political elite, with the general public still ignoring the issue. Voter apathy is high and so the real measure of the President's popularity or lack thereof may eventually be read in the overall voter turnout, for which there have been inflated figures published by the Ministry of Interior in past elections. DESJARDINS