Tunisia: Agreement to hold presidential and parliamentary elections separately

Participants in the Tunisian national dialogue announced on Friday an agreement to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on separate dates.

The political parties represented in the Tunisian constituent assembly met on Friday to discuss the pending issue of elections’ date.

The parties disagreed on whether the presidential and parliamentary elections should be held simultaneously or at separate dates, and which should come first.

According to the secretary general of the General Union of Tunisian Workers Hussain Abbasi, all the parties which participated in national dialogue agreed to separate elections. Some suggested holding presidential elections before the parliamentary, while others suggested the opposite.

Abbasi added that the parties would hold internal consultations before resuming the national dialogue on Monday, when a final decision will be made regarding the elections.

Meanwhile, the independent electoral commission has set June 23 as a date for starting voter registration, which necessitates an agreement on the date of elections before then.

The electoral commission is facing increasing pressures to hold elections by the end of the year in accordance with the new constitution.