TUNISIAN ELECTIONS: SITUATION REPORT AS OF 1900

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000791 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TS SUBJECT: TUNISIAN ELECTIONS: SITUATION REPORT AS OF 1900 LOCAL REF: A. TUNIS 789 ¶B. TUNIS 769 ¶C. TUNIS 694 ¶D. OSC GMP20091025950013 Classified by P/E Counselor Ian McCary for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On October 25, during Tunisia's first national elections in five years, polling stations opened at 0800 and closed at 1800 local time. Ten (unaccredited) Embassy observation teams dispatched to various parts of the country reported a generally orderly process and an apparently light turn out. Some Embassy teams were able to access polling stations with no problems while other teams were denied access and subject to heavy, intrusive surveillance. In an address to the nation on the evening of October 24, President Ben Ali urged citizens to vote, asserted that the campaign and elections process had been managed in a transparent, democratic manner, and warned that "a small number of Tunisians" had "not respected the sacrosanct inviolability of their country" by "inciting foreigners against their own country." The Tunisian Government carefully engineered these elections to preclude any genuine competition. Nothing observed in the polling today would alter the general expectation of a crushing victory for President Ben Ali and the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally. End summary. -------------- Easy Access for Observers in Some Spots -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Although the Tunisian Government did not invite the participation of any independent observers, foreign or domestic, Embassy Tunis dispatched ten teams to different parts of the country to conduct informal/atmospheric observations. An Embassy team which visited Beja, Jendouba, and Bou Salem in the west of the country was generally allowed unobstructed access to polling stations, remarking that many voters declined to use the curtained corners provided for placing ballots in envelopes and made a point of placing the red ballots of the ruling party into the envelope in full view of election workers. Similarly, an Embassy team which visited the Bizerte, Mateur, and Menzel Bourguiba regions north of Tunis also enjoyed generally good access to polling stations and observed a generally orderly process, although the layout of the voting rooms and the overall process weighed against voters' privacy. Similarly, emboffs circulating in northern and western neighborhoods of Tunis were able to access polling centers, watch voting, and chat with poll workers without any difficulty. -------------- Intrusive Surveillance Elsewhere -------------- ¶3. (C) By contrast, an emboff visiting neighborhoods in downtown Tunis was repeatedly denied access to polling places and (briefly) questioned by authorities. An emboff circulating in Tunis' southern suburbs was able to access several polling stations but was soon placed under heavy surveillance and followed closely by several cars. At one site, this emboff was "advised" by a plainclothes security officer to leave immediately. Police in Zaghouan, about 20 miles south of Tunis, had been expecting emboff's visit in advance and began to tail his vehicle well before he arrived. He was questioned closely (if briefly) shortly after his arrival and closely surveilled. An emboff who visited Kairouan and Nasrallah in central Tunisia was subject to particularly heavy surveillance by a pair of plainclothes officers who stayed about two footsteps behind her throughout her visit. -------------- Apparently Low Turnout -------------- ¶4. (C) In past elections, the Tunisian Government has generally claimed a turnout of 90 percent or higher, and Embassy contacts expect the GOT to follow suit this year. However, Embassy teams' informal field observations suggest a light turnout. Short queues were spotted in a few locations, but polling stations we visited generally appeared nearly empty. Our team in Kairouan and Nasrallah reported that they did not spot a single voter in the course of day. One election worker in Tunis, asked about the apparently low turnout, asserted to emboff that this was merely a reflection of the high number of polling centers established by the government, allowing for a low ratio of voters per center. -------------- -------------- Ben Ali Defends Process and Points Finger at Dissidents -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) In a speech broadcast on state TV on the evening of October 24 (ref D),President Ben Ali vigorously defended the integrity of the elections process, asserting that the government had taken pains to create a transparent process and a level playing field and had allowed equal time and access to all candidates for the presidency and the legislature. He also claimed that the government had facilitated the participation of domestic and foreign observers and journalists. The President also referenced "a tiny minority" of Tunisians who had "not respected the sacrosanct inviolability of their country," and had used fabrications and lies to "incite others against their country," in a "desperate campaign" to undermine the elections. -------------- Bottom Line: No Surprises -------------- ¶6. (C) As outlined in reftels, the GOT has carefully engineered these elections to preclude any genuine competition, notwithstanding President Ben Ali's assertions above. Nothing observed in the polling today would alter the general expectation of a crushing victory for President Ben Ali and the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally. GRAY