Tunisia

Through its groundbreaking Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign, The Carter Center partners with city leaders worldwide to raise awareness about women’s right to access information and to help cities reach women with valuable information and essential municipal services. 

Access to this information empowers women with a stronger voice, enabling them to participate in public life, utilize public services, and make more informed decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. In Tunisia, the project has partnered with the city of Tunis.

How It Started

After 10 years of governmental and political party dysfunction, Tunisians in 2022 had soured on democracy writ large. The July constitutional referendum and the December parliamentary elections were both held in a volatile political atmosphere.

• The Carter Center, which had closely monitored legislative and political processes in Tunisia since the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, was invited to observe the referendum and the parliamentary elections.

Our Work and Methods

• In June 2022, the Center deployed a small team of election experts to assess the referendum. For the December parliamentary elections, the Center sent more than 60 observers to monitor voting processes at 308 polling stations.
• The team remained to observe postelection processes, including legal challenges.

Impacts

• Less than 9% of Tunisia’s eligible voters took part in the Dec. 17 parliamentary elections—a historically low turnout that reflected the people’s disillusionment with the political and economic situation.
• The Carter Center publicly called on all Tunisian stakeholders to put aside their differences and engage in a truly inclusive and transparent national dialogue to reset the country’s stalled democratic transition.
• The Center also called on Tunisia’s elected leaders to change course to address the country’s complex economic and social issues.

This project ended in 2022.

How It Started

President Beji Caïd Essebsi died in office in July 2019, forcing Tunisia’s election commission to move up the presidential election by about two months and to organize three elections—presidential, legislative, and presidential runoff—in less than a month.

• The Carter Center was invited to send a team to observe the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Our Work and Methods

• The Center deployed more than 90 observers from 30 countries to the presidential and parliamentary elections, including the presidential runoff.

Impacts

• Despite the compressed time frame, observers reported that all three elections went smoothly, with only minor flaws.
• The elections provided Tunisia an opportunity to reinvigorate the country’s political transition, strengthen its democratic culture, and refocus on reforms to improve people’s lives.

This project ended in 2019.

How It Started

Tunisian officials invited The Carter Center to observe the 2014 legislative and presidential elections.

Our Work and Methods

• The Center deployed teams of long-term and short-term observers to monitor the first presidential and parliamentary elections since the ouster of Ben Ali.
• Though there were minor irregularities at some polling locations, the team found that overall the elections were calm, orderly, and transparent.

Impacts

• After the elections, the Center collaborated with international and Tunisian partners on outreach activities related to democratic election standards, including a series of training activities to help support civil society organizations monitor elections.
• With local partners, the Center held focus groups to learn more about the participation of women and young people in elections and created projects to encourage more of them to engage with elected officials at the municipal level.

This project ended in 2014.

How It Started

In 2011, The Carter Center was invited to observe the election of the Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting the country’s new constitution.

Our Work and Methods

• After the election, The Carter Center remained in Tunisia to follow the constitution-drafting process and developments related to establishing institutional and legal frameworks for subsequent elections.

Impacts

• The Center issued public recommendations to help bring the constitution and electoral legislation into greater alignment with Tunisia’s international obligations for civil and political rights.

This project ended in 2011.