CONTACT: In Tunis, Deborah Hakes +216 25 332 318 or dhakes@emory.edu
Tunis …The Carter Center announced today that former President of Mauritius and Club of Madrid member Cassam Uteem and Carter Center President and CEO Dr. John Hardman will co-lead the Center's international election observation delegation to Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly elections on Oct. 23. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will also participate in the delegation.
"Tunisia will be the first Arab Spring country to hold elections," said President Uteem. "The Carter Center is honored to have been invited to observe this historical event. We look forward to a peaceful democratic process and credible elections, and encourage the election commission to finalize the remaining preparations."
President Uteem and the Carter Center leadership team will meet with key stakeholders including the High Independent Elections Commission, political parties, independent candidates, civil society organizations, government officials, and the international community, and will observe polling, counting, and tabulation on election day, as well as the resolution of electoral complaints.
The Center's long-term observers have been deployed since early August and are now joined by some 40 short-term observers from various nationalities to be briefed in Tunis and deployed ahead of election day.
The objectives of the Center's observation mission in Tunisia are to provide an impartial assessment of the overall quality of the electoral process, promote an inclusive process for all Tunisians, and demonstrate international support for this ambitious democratic transition. The elections will be assessed against the Tunisian legal framework, as well as Tunisia's international obligations for genuine democratic elections.
The Carter Center releases periodic reports of its findings in Tunisia, available at www.cartercenter.org.
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A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers in developing nations to increase crop production. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
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