On Wednesday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems held a discussion with Rafael Lopez-Pintor, an IFES elections expert, which was moderated by Michael Svetlik, IFES Vice President of Programs. Lopez-Pintor spent two months in Tunisia this summer as an electoral expert for IFES. For full event notes, continue reading. Or, click here for the PDF.   Lopez-Pintor began the discussion about the set-up of the electoral commission and how the electoral process is ...

The Carter Center released a statement that emphasized how Tunisia's voter registration process was conducted smoothly, but more importantly, "operational challenges remain for the High Independent Authority for the Elections (ISIE), particularly the allocation of voters to polling stations and a campaign to disseminate voter information to the public."  The Carter Center suggests that public outreach should be emphasized by the ISIE and other organizations aimed at assisting Tunisians in the ...

Egypt's cabinet approved the creation of a judicial committee that had been proposed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to start negotiations with Switzerland in an effort to reach a deal to restore Egypt's frozen assets. Additionally, police arrested one of Egypt's most wanted Islamist militants, Mohamed Shawqi el-Islambuli, as he arrived back into Egypt on Sunday after being ordered to leave Iran.  He had killed former President Anwar ...

According to the Interior Minister for Administrative Affairs Refat Qomsan, nearly 50,650,000 citizens will be eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections expected in November, which will continue in three stages.  Qomsan also emphasized that in preparation for the parliamentary elections, the Ministry of Interior is "developing new mechanisms to further organize the electoral process to ensure its integrity and transparency." Qomsan said that the new database that was developed for ...

Eric Trager writes on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout the political transition of Egypt.  Trager argues that "The Brotherhood is Egypt's most cohesive political movement, with an unparalleled ability to mobilize its followers, who will serve it extremely well in a country still unaccustomed to voting."  From January through March this year, Trager interviewed about 30 current and former Brotherhood members in an effort to examine its organizational ...

Esraa Abdel Fatah, a political activist and the head of the Egyptian Democratic Academy, reported that Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) summoned representatives for August 18 for interrogation.  The summoned representatives include staff members, Hossam Ali, Ahmed Ghoneim, Basem Samir and more.  According to Abdel Fatah, the subpoena did not specify why the representatives of the academy are under investigation, but she believes that it may be related ...

Protests restarted in Tunisia on Monday as several hundred lawyers demonstrated against "continuing corruption in the courts and too-lax verdicts against those in the regime of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali."  Police fired tear gas in an effort to disperse protesters as they threw stones and smashed storefronts. Samia Fitouri writes in the Guardian on the history of oppression faced by Tunisians until the Arab Spring.  Fitouri emphasizes that ...

Emanuela Dalmasso and Francesco Cavatorta, writing for Jadaliyya, authored an analysis of the Moroccan constitutional reform process and its aftermath. Dalmasso and Cavatorta noted that most groups pushing for reform in the past were satisfied with the reforms the Monarchy implemented, even though the reforms were written to reaffirm the executive supremacy of the Monarchy. The February 20 movement is different however, because despite the changes agreed to during the ...

About 3.7 million Tunisians registered to vote in the next election, which represents about 52 percent of potential voters in the country.  This number does not include the estimated 700,000 to 800,000 Tunisians that are of voting age abroad.  The independent elections commission is set to release official figures on Tuesday.  Registration had opened on July 11 and was set to close on August 2, but remained opened due to ...

On Friday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems hosted a panel discussion entitled: “Women in the Middle East: Attitudes and Advocacy in an Opening Political Space.” The discussion was part of the Interaction Forum. The panelists included Rola Abdul-Latif, IFES Senior Research Specialist; Rana Jarhum, Advocacy and Senior Media Specialist, WATAN Coalition (The Yemeni Women for Social Peace Campaign); and Carla Koppell, Senior Coordinator, Office of Gender Equality & ...

Marina Ottaway writes that Tunisia and Egypt are facing major transitional issues as both countries set up interim governments to organize and manage elections. 'Popular pressure' stemming from continued protests could eventually force the government to give in to street rule if not managed properly. The question of how and when elections will take place has been a topic of concern for Ottaway and others, as both countries have faced setbacks ...