The election of the National Constituent Council is a step towards the unknown, writes Al-Asaad bin Ahmed in Tunis On Sunday 23 October, nearly 4.1 million Tunisians will head to the polls to elect 217 members to the National Constituent Council, in a event never before experienced by the people of Tunisia. It is a historical step, and even Tunisians themselves do not know where it will lead. Everyone knows that the council will write a new constitution to sever once and for all ties with an era of corruption and tyranny. It will also lay the foundation for a new epoch that will restore the dignity of Tunisians of all political hues, divergent philosophies and ethnicities. Although the Islamists are the most popular and likely to win one quarter of the votes, according to opinion polls, the fact that there is no clear majority bloc is cause for political uncertainty, instability, and possible lack of consensus on a constitution. There are 11,600 candidates running on 1,521 lists including secularists, Islamists, moderates, extremists, independents, gahawi, conservatives, loyalists to the former regime, and others. This fear of the unknown has resulted in a rush to the shops to buy basic goods and a resultant depletion of the supply of many products in the market. A large number of citizens rushed to stock up on eggs, milk, mineral water and other foodstuffs in anticipation of deterioration in conditions after the elections. Also, in preparation for expected violence and lack of security, similar to what occurred as soon as the deposed president fled on 14 January. This is happening despite attempts to reassure the public, expressions of optimism and promotional campaigns by the government. At the same time, election campaigns continued during the final week amid tense competition from one day to the next; public events have increased, flyers are distributed and direct contact made with the electorate. Some citizens continue to express their confusion about whom they will vote for. Campaigning continues until 21 October, so far, in relative calm except for a few minor violations, such as ripping up some posters and flyers, hanging them up in the wrong places or some parties using government vehicles to campaign. Meanwhile, there were some protests across the country after the broadcast of the film Persepolis by an Iranian director living in exile in France. Although this is an animated film, it depicts God in the form of a bearded man. It also includes some violent phrases that are inappropriate for children. Many Tunisians were angered with the film since it violates religious taboos. Some extremists threatened the station and its owner with death, and his home was attacked with Molotov bombs. Most of the marches that began after Friday prayers were peaceful except for one in the capital that turned violent, accompanied by teargas and arrests. There were many reactions in the political arena by parties and civic groups; some who blamed the owner of the station, others who advocated freedom of expression without limitations or conditions, while others urged for calm so as not to distract from election campaigns. Nabil Al-Qarawi, the owner of the Nesma television station, was accused of provoking the extremist Salafis on purpose and several lawyers have filed suits against Nesma and its owner for daring to violate religious taboos of the Tunisian people. There were also diplomatic reactions. The Iranian embassy issued a statement disowning the film and said that it had previously officially asked the station not to broadcast the film as soon as the trailers had begun to air. Meanwhile, a peaceful protest marched through Tunis on Sunday in support of the station calling for freedom of thought, creativity and confronting extremism and backwardness. The owner of the station made a public apology to the people, especially in the wake of a series of resignations inside the media organisation and a drop in advertising as a result of the controversy. As for actual and logistical preparations for the elections, the Independent Supreme Authority for Elections held a news conference on Saturday to explain the various security and logistical preparations, especially ways of guaranteeing transparency during the elections. The Authority said that every voter will be marked with blue ink to prevent them from voting again, as was the case under the previous regime. It added that vote counting will take place at ballot stations after they close at 7:30pm and will be attended by 5,341 licensed Tunisian monitors, while foreigners account for 533 monitors and their number is rising. The Authority also sponsored a mock election at one of the primary schools on Sunday to test what could go wrong and address problems before Election Day. The chairman of the authority Kamal Al-Jandoubi said he was optimistic about voter turnout since everyone who registered their names for voting is a likely voter, and is keen on making the interim phase a success.
