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).

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Summary
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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.


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Easy Access for Observers in Some Spots
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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.

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Intrusive Surveillance Elsewhere
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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.

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Apparently Low Turnout
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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.

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Ben Ali Defends Process and Points Finger at Dissidents
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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.

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Bottom Line: No Surprises
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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