The Independent High Authority for Elections (French: ISIE) has set up a new internal system to record electoral crimes and submit them immediately to the authority’s Board, before receiving the written report on paper, said ISIE spokesman Mohamed Tlili Mansri.
This will help the central authority decide at a later stage whether or not to refer these reports to the public prosecutor, he added.
The aim is to unify efforts and organise work between regional authorities before turning to the prosecution, he told TAP on the sidelines of a study day on electoral crimes and the role of the prosecution, organised by ISIE on Thursday and attended by representatives of the prosecution and judicial police from Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia, Kairouan and Siliana.
Mansri also pointed out that the change in the electoral system and the introduction of a popular vote system in small constituencies could lead to hate speech and social, regional or family discrimination. Such behaviour is now punishable under Article 161, he
added.
“The ISIE calls on all those involved in the electoral process, especially the judicial police, to support the efforts of the ISIE’s election observers, especially during the campaign period and on polling day,” he stressed.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse