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Add TN as a preferred source on Google=The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) is ready at every level to organise municipal elections, its spokesperson, Mohamed Tlili Mansri, told Tunisie Numérique in an exclusive statement. The elections can only be held, however, once the president of the Republic issues a decree calling voters to the polls.
Mansri said the legal framework for the municipal elections was now complete. The next legislative elections, meanwhile, are being considered for November or December 2027. The ISIE’s official English name is the Independent High Authority for Elections.
Legal framework for municipal elections complete, says ISIE
Mansri said Decree-Law No. 4, dated September 30, 2026, had completed the legal framework needed to organise municipal elections. According to his account, the decree-law repeals the Code of Local Authorities. The text, which concerns municipal councils, was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia.
He noted that it followed Decree-Law No. 8 of 2023, which amended provisions of the electoral law governing municipal elections to introduce a system based on individual candidacies.
According to the ISIE spokesperson, municipalities now have a new organic law adapted to this electoral system. He described this as a step towards holding the vote.
Voter-convening decree still pending
Mansri reiterated that, despite the ISIE’s readiness, the municipal elections require a decree by the president of the Republic calling voters to the polls. He said the vote did not fall within the category of periodic elections, according to his classification.
He said there was still enough time to organise the elections, which are held in a single round. Once the decree is published, the ISIE will be required to organise the vote within three months, he added.
Could municipal and legislative elections be held at the same time?
Asked whether the municipal elections could take place alongside the legislative elections expected in late 2027, Mansri said there was no legal or theoretical obstacle to holding them simultaneously.
The ISIE would nevertheless prefer to keep the two electoral processes separate. Mansri said this would allow voters to choose their representative to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People in a separate vote from the one for municipal councillors, avoiding confusion that could arise from having two ballot boxes.
Legislative elections considered for late 2027
Mansri said the next legislative elections were expected to take place towards the end of 2027.
He noted that MPs had taken their oath of office in March 2023 and that their term would end in March 2028, according to his account. On that basis, the ISIE is considering scheduling the vote in November or December 2027.
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