Tunisian parties fail to agree on elections

Political parties in Tunis failed on Wednesday to reach an agreement on whether to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously or separately, Anadolu news agency has reported.

Following a series of discussions, a spokesman of the National Dialogue sponsor Mohamed Mahfouz said that all options were discussed. He noted that there was no agreement about holding both elections simultaneously “because that does not serve the interests of the country or the National Dialogue.”

Meanwhile, the head of the political bureau of Al-Nahda Movement, Al-Areed Al-Areed, said that positions changed during the discussions. “There is considerable support for holding both elections simultaneously,” he claimed. “All sides are eager to hold elections before the end of 2014 based on the decision of the Constitutional Assembly.”

Al-Areed reiterated that agreement is the only way to take final decisions in the National Dialogue. “The Constitutional Assembly is expected to vote on the issue if no agreement is reached through discussions,” he said.

Tunis Horizons party, with three representatives in the Constitutional Assembly, did not take part in the discussions. Other parties said they postponed the discussions to review their political positions regarding the issue.

The National Dialogue discussions are expected to resume next Friday.