Tunisia postpones municipal elections

The Independent High Authority for the Elections in Tunisia officially declared 25 March as the final date for municipal elections.

The president of the Independent High Authority for Elections, Anwar Ben Hassan, presented the municipal elections’ calendar, with nominations being open on 2 January for a week. Election campaigns will be launched from 2-23 March.

The High Authority set 18 March as the date for voting for the military and security officers, while 25 March is set as the day for the public to vote.

According to the election calendar, the preliminary results will be announced by 28 March and the final results will be announced on 2 May.

This is the first municipal election held after the revolution that toppled the rule of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011.

Read: Nidaa Tounes to elect leaders after municipal elections

The municipal elections were expected to take place on 17 December, but a dispute over the composition of the Independent High Electoral Commission prevented elections on this day.

Tunisian human rights and civil rights organisations have condemned the postponement of the municipal elections, considering it a “step backwards” in the country’s democratic transition.