Tunisian politicians taking part in the country's national dialogue have at last made up their minds to hold parliamentary elections before presidential ones, with 12 parties voting to hold the parliamentary elections first and six parties voting against. The decision was made on 13 June, only hours after Chafik Sarsar, head of the Independent Elections Committee, warned the politicians that “the decision cannot be delayed if we want elections to international standards before the end of the year.” Speaking at a news conference, Sarsar said that further postponement would lead to holding legislative and presidential elections simultaneously, an option opposed by the country's smaller parties. The country's National Constituent Assembly must decide the date of the elections before 23 June, the time for voter registration. A few months ago, Sarsar's Independent Elections Committee proposed holding the legislative elections on 26 October and the presidential ones on 23 November, with run-offs taking place on 28 December. Mustafa Ben Jaafar, president of the Constituent Assembly, said that the elected body would make a decision on the date of the elections before 23 June. Political analysts say that holding the legislative elections first offers better chances for smaller parties to get into the new parliament. But if the presidential elections happen first, the country's biggest parties will dominate the scene. It has been pointed out, however, that holding three elections in two months may dampen voter enthusiasm, especially in remote areas where the harsh cold of the Tunisian winter turns travel into an arduous experience. Already, many Tunisians, citing disillusionment over the performance of the country's political 2011 Revolution in Tunisia brought many hopes to the nation, but more than three years later few if any of these have come true. The jobless continue to suffer, poverty is widespread, and development remains lopsided, with peripheral areas receiving scant attention from the capital. To top it all, security has deteriorated over the past three years. Ordinary citizens complain that the country's politicians have used the collapse of the dictatorship of former president Zein Al-Abidine Ben Ali to seek popularity rather than to provide services. The young in particular feel betrayed, as the post-revolutionary governments have failed to stimulate the economy or provide them with jobs. To counter the apathy, the Independent Elections Committee launched an awareness campaign targeting young people. Volunteers from nearly 200 civil society organisations, assisted by media specialists, took part in the campaign, aimed to entice four million non-registered voters to get voting cards. One of the main challenges facing Tunisia is the ability of the political parties to gain the confidence of the voters, since for the past three years broken promises have taken their toll on the public mood. A few weeks ago, many parties started to hold public meetings and organise events bringing candidates together with their prospective constituencies. Unless the political parties that dominate the scene prove themselves capable of more than propaganda, some analysts say, the disbanded Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), the former ruling party, may stage a comeback. The Constituent Assembly has not banned the officials of the old regime from participating in the elections, and these stand to gain more than anyone else from the post-revolutionary ineptness of successive governments. Some people have even been demanding the return of ousted president Ben Ali. Elections are not the only thing on the mind of Tunisians these days. Terrorism, a booming phenomenon since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in nearby Libya, is another source of concern. In early May, terrorists attacked the Tunisian interior minister's house in the town of Kasserine, killing eight guards. The assault followed the arrest of a group of suspects on the Tunisian-Libyan border, who may have been preparing for an attack in the island of Djerba to mark the pilgrimage of Tunisian Jews to the Al-Ghriba Synagogue. In a related development, police patrolling the Tunisian-Algerian border have uncovered a workshop making light weapons and seized a considerable cache of guns. Both the Tunisian interior and defence ministers have pledged to double their efforts to protect the country during the next elections. But it is conceivable that jihadist groups may be planning further attacks to disrupt the country's political process.
