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TUNIS, Tunisia- In the coming days, short-term election observers will arrive in Tunisia to participate in the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) international mission to observe the October 26 legislative elections. They will join the Institute’s team of seven long-term election observers already deployed across Tunisia since August.

The delegation will be led by, among others, Darrell Dexter, former premier of the province of Nova Scotia in Canada, Zakia Khattabi, member of the Belgian Parliament, and Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI. More than 50 elected representatives, political experts and civil society activists representing more than 20 countries will participate in the delegation.

“These elections represent an important step for Tunisia and Tunisians. A transparent process is crucial for building the confidence of voters. And election observation is an integral part of this process,” said Ms. Nicole Rowsell, NDI’s director in Tunisia.

Before being deployed, observers will meet with election officials, political parties and members of civil society. They will also receive an update on the progress of recommendations delivered by a pre-election assessment mission conducted jointly by NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI) in September. Observers will then deploy to districts across Tunisia to meet with local election authorities, candidates, journalists and citizen election observers.

On election day, the delegates will visit polling stations to observe the voting and counting processes. Delegates will return to Tunis to prepare a preliminary statement on the mission’s findings which will be issued during a press conference on October 27.

NDI has conducted election observation in more than 63 countries around the world. The delegation is conducting its observation in a non-partisan capacity in accordance with Tunisian law and with the international standards contained in the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observers.

During Tunisia’s current political transition, NDI is leading programs to encourage a competitive and representative political environment where political parties act on behalf of citizens’ interests, and where civil society plays an active role in overseeing the political process. Since 2000, NDI has supported reform-minded Tunisian democrats in their efforts to promote a more inclusive and participatory political environment.

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan nongovernmental organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. More information is available at www.ndi.org

For more information:

In Tunis, Gaby Senay, [email protected] and +216 92 18 34 69

In Washington, D.C., Kathy Gest, [email protected] and 202-728-5535

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Posted October 20, 2014