The spokeswoman for the European External Action Service said on Wednesday 27 April that the decree reforming the Independent High Authority for the Elections (ISIE) in Tunisia “risks reducing its independence” while the EU considers this independence as “a crucial element in guaranteeing the credibility of an electoral process which is intended to lead to a return to institutional normality in the country”.
She said that the Union will follow the appointments of future members with the utmost attention “so that they remain a guarantee of the maintenance of its independence and its capacity to carry out its mandate in full transparency”.
On the same day, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister (EPP, Germany), and the rapporteur for Tunisia, Michael Gahler (EPP, Germany), said that the decree removed the necessary checks and balances and undermined the electoral independence and legitimacy of the electoral authority.
“Not only was the decision taken without broad prior political consultation and at a time when there is no active elected Parliament, but we believe that the new method of appointment could seriously undermine the independence and political neutrality of the Electoral Commission as well as the consolidation of Tunisian democracy”, they warned, adding that the decree contradicts international best practice.
A referendum is scheduled for July and parliamentary elections for December. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)