Tunisia’s parliament is will be holding a heated session on Tuesday upon a request for the dismissal of Tunisia's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) Chairman Mohammed al-Mansri al-Talili as dispute grows among political parties represented in parliament.
It is worth noting that the decision up for debate has gained traction with presidential and parliamentary elections being just around the corner.
From the constitutional point of view, dismissing the IHEC chairman requires the approval of a majority of 109 members out of a total of 217. This is unattainable for the North African country given the sharp political differences between the two largest political coalitions in Tunisia which hold up to 125 seats combined.
To defend his position, Talili presented a detailed report to the parliament on various tasks he performed as he faces accusations on “negligence” by the other eight electoral bodies.
He vowed to reveal the extent internal differences’ impact on performance, especially a year ahead of scheduled presidential and parliamentary elections.
Taili said in a press statement that he was not afraid to face the Tunisian parliament and that he was happy to defend his position.
He also called on IHEC members to prioritize national interest over personal interests, in reference to the possibility of internal differences affecting the date on which next year’s elections are held.
Talili considered he saw no reason to submit his resignation to parliament during the hearing on the request for his dismissal.
On May 28, members of the electoral commission decided to exempt Talili from his duties and made a formal request to parliament accusing him of committing mistakes in the financial and administrative management of IHEC efforts and the electoral process, especially in processes in south-west Tunisia.
On the impact of these differences on the elections scheduled for next year, Talili said that the current situation directly affects the work of the Commission and its readiness to organize elections.
On the other hand, the IHEC Deputy Chairman Adel Al-Barinisi said the body has already began to form a joint administrative committee with the national ministerial cabinet and a group of independent experts to draw up a clear vision for 2019’s presidential and parliamentary elections calendar.
Declaring that the Electoral Commission has initially overcame its internal differences and the political crisis associated with the incumbent government and successive calls to overthrow it.
Barinisi predicted the plan of action for upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections would be completed before the end of October – later on, the IHEC can adjust its budget.
Tuesday’s parliamentary session is vital to determining the position of the requests for dismissing the acting IHEC chief over of a number of legal and administrative errors, Barinisi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Despite the sitting chief being up for decommissioning, Barinisi said that such a matter has not affected the body’s works on organizing the 2019 elections. He also praised the IHEC’s role in organizing municipal elections.
He said that the body surpassed its internal differences in the past period and did not stop at the request for dismissing Talili, and has already started preparing an initial plan for upcoming elections.
