2,074 candidate lists to run for Tunisia municipal elections

TUNIS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 2,074 candidate lists will run for municipal elections on May 6, including 1,055 party lists, 860 independent lists and 159 coalition lists, Independent Higher Authority for Elections (ISIE) announced at a press conference Thursday.

This is the first local election in Tunisia after the 2011 popular uprising against the former regime of Ben Ali. These elections will take place on May 6 after being postponed twice.

"Among these candidate lists, there were 18 lists chaired by people with special needs (disability), including 13 men and 5 women," said President of the ISIE, Mohamed Tlili Mansri.

Of the 2,074 candidate lists, 30.33 percent are chaired by women. Only 3.49 percent of the independent list heads are women, while the figure is 48.43 percent for the coalition list and 49.48 percent for the party lists.

Referring to the age of the candidates, Mansri noted that 52.10 percent of the candidates have not yet passed 35 years old, and 4.41 percent are over 60 years old.

In a commentary entitled "Risk or Opportunity?", the Carnegie Middle Eastern Independent Policy Research Center based in Beirut explained that "these elections represent both an opportunity and a risk for Tunisia's democracy. If successful, the transition will be consolidated to extend democracy at the local level."

"However, a low participation rate or a generalized protest vote could weaken the legitimacy of the current governance structure. In both cases, the result will certainly influence 2019 legislative and presidential elections," said the Research Center. Enditem