Poster before the 2011 elections. Image credit: European Parliament
An administrative court has annulled 36 candidates nominated for Tunisia’s board of elections by the National Constituent Assembly (NCA), presenting yet another barrier to resolving the country’s political stalemate.
The grounds for rejection of the nominees has not yet been released, but comes after the NCA amended the law governing the selection of the board on November 1.
The court’s rejection of the nominees further complicates the already-delayed political talks between parties meant to steer Tunisia out of crisis.
Samia Abou, a member of the NCA committee tasked with selecting members of the board, disputed whether the administrative court had the authority to make this decision.
“This means that the administrative court makes itself into a constitutional court and looks into the constitutionality of laws. This is not right,” Abou, a member of the Democratic Current party, told Mosaique.
Ahmed Souab, a judge with the administrative court, told Mosaique that the board of elections dispute between the NCA and the court was “the mother of all judicial independence battles.”
The elections board will consist of nine members, each with a specific title and mission, including judges, lawyers, and academics. Four candidates are presented for each category; two men and two women based on Tunisia’s gender parity rules.
The administrative court previously annulled the the committee’s earlier list of nominees in September due to a complaint lodged by the Tunisian Association for Fair and Democratic Elections (ATIDE), which cited violations during the board’s nomination process.
Asma Smadhi contributed reporting.
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