On October 24, 2004 , Tunisians will go to the polls in order to choose their President of the Republic and their representatives in the Parliament.

Presidential election

The Constitutional Council has announced the validity of the files of four candidates to the presidential election :

•  President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia

•  Mr. Mohamed Bouchiha, Secretary General of the Party of Popular Unity (PUP)

•  Mr. Mounir Beji, President of the Liberal Social Party (PSL)

•  Mr. Mohamed Ali Halouani, member of the Political Bureau of Attajdid Movement

Conditions of candidacy to the Presidency of the Republic:

•  The candidate shall be Tunisian, having only the Tunisian nationality, and born of parents and grand-fathers, both paternal and maternal, who are Tunisian and have remained as such without discontinuity (article 40 of the constitution)

•  T he candidate shall be, on the day of submitting his candidacy, at least 40 and at most 75 years old (article 40 of the Constitution).

•  The candidate shall be enjoying all his civil and political rights (article 40 of the Constitution).

•  The candidate shall be of Muslim religion (article 40 of the Constitution)

•  Each candidate shall make a 5,000-dinar security deposit. This deposit shall only be refunded if the candidate obtains a minimum of 3% of the valid votes (article 66 of the Electoral Code).

 Legislative elections

About 1000 candidates will participate in the legislative elections. These candidates represent seven (7) parties : Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) (152), Movement of Socialist Democrats (MDS) (152), Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) (132), Attajdid Movement (129), Party of Popular Unity (PUP) (152), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) (89) and Liberal Social Party (PSL) (134). This in addition to independent lists(39).

The lists of candidates to legislative elections will contest 189 parliamentary seats, 37 of which are reserved to the lists not having obtained the majority. (This formula guarantees a minimum number of seats for the Opposition candidates who, on that basis, obtained 34 seats out of 182 in the 1999 legislative elections, against 19 seats out of 163 in the 1994 elections).

Women constitute 25% of RCD candidates (the majority party in the Parliament) to legislative elections.

For the first time in the history of independent Tunisia , RCD lists do not include any member of the Government.

The election process

For the first time, a Presidential and Legislative Elections National Observatory has been established to control the electoral process. This body includes personalities known for their autonomy. Also for the first time, the Constitutional Council exercises its functions concerning the approval of the validity of the files of presidential candidates and the results of elections.

Foreign observers will attend the elections and follow the electoral process.

The reforms introduced into the Electoral Code in 2002 came to ensure the transparency of the electoral operation and to facilitate the registration of voters . Since the enforcement of these reforms, 1.3 million additional voters have been registered. Out of a total population of 10 millions, the total number of voters of both genders currently amounts to 4.7 millions.

The Electoral Code provides that an allowance to finance the electoral campaign shall be granted to each presidential candidate and each list of candidates to legislative elections.

During the electoral campaign (October 10-22), candidates to elections are offered equal time to speak to voters through the national radio and television.