Tunisia – UGTT: ISIE decisions constitute serious overstepping and legal precedent

The administrative body of the Tunisian General Labor Union, in a meeting held yesterday, voiced its firm opposition to the Electoral Commission’s cancellation of the Administrative Court’s decisions concerning the acceptance of several presidential candidacies. The Union regards this as a “systematic, biased, and exclusionary move” that preemptively affects the election results, and as a blatant attack on judicial authority and its rulings.

In a statement, the Commission denounced the cancellation of the Administrative Court’s decisions and the unilateral issuance of a final list, despite initially agreeing to handle the matter through the administrative judicial system. They described this as a “legal and historical precedent” and a “dangerous breach of the law, reinforcing political decisions.”

The administrative body declared that “this decision, irrespective of the candidates’ names and without favouring any, confirms the absence of the required conditions for democratic, pluralistic, transparent, and fair elections.”

The Union further cautioned that “such decisions only serve to perpetuate a unilateral and authoritarian approach, exacerbating discord and tension.” They also criticized the Supreme Electoral Commission’s actions following the exclusion of the Independent Authority of Audiovisual Communication from overseeing and guiding the elections, which prevented many dissenting voices from fulfilling their duty to inform the public and guarantee equal opportunities for all candidates.