Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

• Enhance the legitimacy and enforcement power of the electoral commission.
Tunisian authorities already have taken significant and commendable measures to
ensure fair play. However, the last elections illustrated the weakness of the electoral
commission in enforcing its more controversial decisions, such as the one to
implement a moratorium on political advertising. In addition to strengthening the
legitimacy of the commission through enhanced communication with the parties,
legislation should be passed stipulating that the electoral commission’s rulings
are legally binding and stating the penalty for violations.
• Pass tougher campaign finance provisions. The current regulations governing
campaign financing leave too much to interpretation. Hamdi was able to exploit this
weakness in the current provisions by broadcasting on his own TV network. More
thought also needs to be given to the relationship between political parties and charity
organizations, which thus far has only been an issue with Ennahdha. The party’s past
provision of social services needs to be viewed as campaign expenditures, and if such
charity work continues, it should be conducted through an organization that does not
bear the name of Ennahdha.
• Beyond closing such loopholes, more resources should be invested in tracking
campaign financing. To build public confidence and promote transparency, the
parties should be required to publically disclose their large donors.
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