Tunisia election body rejects some election monitors for alleged ‘suspicious funding’

The Tunisia Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) yesterday rejected requests by several civil society groups to monitor the upcoming presidential elections on 6 October, allegeding they had received a “huge amount” of foreign funding from a “suspicious origin”, Anadolu reported.

ISIE stressed in a statement the importance of “verifying the availability of the legal conditions for granting accreditation, especially the condition of neutrality, independence and integrity”, adding that it received information from official bodies that some of these groups received “suspicious foreign funding” from some countries which do not have diplomatic relations with Tunisia.

It added that the obtained information was referred to the relevant authorities to take the necessary action.

The ISIE did not name the associations.

On Friday, the Observers Association announced in a statement that the ISIE “did not respond to its request to accredit 1,220 of its observers for the presidential elections.”

The ISIE has come under severe criticism after President Kais Saied issued a presidential order granting him powers to appoint a head in April 2022. Analysts warn that it has lost its independence and now serves Saied’s interests.

The ISIE has supervised the various legislative, presidential and municipal elections that Tunisia has witnessed since 2011.

Presidential elections are due to be held on 6 October, however a number of candidates have not been approved to stand, leading to further calls that Saied is monopolising power and silencing the opposition.

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