Tunis — Members of the National Presidential and Legislative Elections Observatory visited, on Sunday, a number of polling stations in the various parts of the country. This mission is part of the institution's prerogatives which consist in overseeing the electoral operation, in making sure that the conditions of transparency, respect of the primacy of law and neutrality of the administration are met.

Chairman of the Observatory Abdelwaheb Béhi visited, on Sunday morning, accompanied by a delegation of Arab and foreign observers, some polling stations in the capital, to supervise the electoral process.

These visits provided the opportunity to verify general conditions in these polling stations and note the degree of compliance with provisions of the Electoral Code which guarantee optimum conditions for discharging the electoral duty in abidance by the law and the principles of transparency and neutrality of the administration.

The latter provided electors with the lists of candidates for the presidential election and the parties' lists and those of the independent candidates' lists for the legislative elections, in addition to polling booths and locked ballot boxes.

Chairman of the Observatory and the delegation escorting him discussed with committee members of the polling stations and representatives of the candidate lists, to get to know the degree of the electors' compliance with conditions of the electoral operation and its rule, regarding mainly presentation of voting cards and national IDs, and signing of the voting register after completion of their electoral duty.

The Arab and foreign observers voiced satisfaction at the good conditions in which voting took place, pointing up in particular the very high turn-out recorded since the opening of polling stations, which testifies to the level of political maturity and firm attachment to exercise the electoral right and duty.

Chairman of the Algerian Bar in the Annaba region Mabrouk Nedjoua pointed out the good organisation, the administration's impartiality and respect of conditions of the electoral operation, specifying that the presence of international observers and representatives of the national and international press to monitor this important political event testify to sincere will to consecrate democracy in all its dimensions.

For his part, Cameroonian magistrate Gaston Kenfack Douajni underscored the tranquility in which voting took place, stressing the high degree of awareness and commitment the electors showed in fulfilling their electoral duty and exercising their political right.

He said that the electoral campaign went on in a climate characterised by the equality of chances as regards the attitude of administration or media, and in an atmosphere of loyal contest between the various parties so that they could present their manifestos, electoral programmes and candidates for the presidential and legislative elections.

For his part, barrister and member of the Algerian Order of Barristers Mohamed Arbi B'chira pointed out the Tunisian administration's keenness to respect the conditions of the electoral operation and the provisions of the Tunisian Electoral Code, in order to guarantee transparency and fairness of elections.

Mr. Abdelwaheb Béhi said that the National Presidential and Legislative Elections Observatory would submit at the end of the electoral operation a report to the Head of State with detailed and exhaustive data on the electoral process at its various stages. He added that the electoral operation took place under good circumstances in the various regions across the country, insofar as members of the Observatory and the Arab and foreign observers recorded no encroachments on the law.