Tunisia could hold the second round of its presidential
elections on December 14, provided that appeals lodged against the results of
the first round were withdrawn
World Bulletin/News Desk
The head of Tunisia's election commission Chafiq Sarsar on
Saturday said that his country could hold the second round of its presidential
elections on December 14, provided that appeals lodged against the results of
the first round were withdrawn.
"The second round of the elections can be held on
December 14 if news about an agreement for withdrawing appeals against the
results of the first round proved to be true," Sarsar told The Anadolu
Agency.
Earlier in the day, the head of the Ennahda Movement, Rashid
al-Ghannoushi, said that he had met with interim president and presidential
candidate Moncef Marzouki in an attempt to persuade him to withdraw an appeal
he lodged against the results of the first round of the country's presidential
elections.
"Before Saturday's national dialogue meeting, I met
with Marzouki at the request of the dialogue's four sponsors to convince him to
withdraw the appeal he filed against the results of the first round of the
polls," Ghannouchi said a statement to the local press.
The four sponsors of the dialogue initiative are the
Tunisian General Labor Union; the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human
Rights; the Tunisian Industry, Trade and Handicrafts Union; and the National
Bar Association.
On Friday, Marzouki lodged an appeal against the results of
the first round of the Sunday presidential polls with the country's electoral
commission.
The move has led to the postponement of the second-round of
the vote to December 21 or 28, instead of December 14 as initially planned.
The second-round of the vote will be held on either December
21 or 28, depending on the court verdict, according to election commission
member Nabil Bafoon.
The second round will see Marzouki contesting Tunisia's top
spot with Beji Caid Essebsi, the leader of the centrist Nidaa Tounes Party, who
clinched some 1.9 million votes (39.4 percent) in the first round, while
Marzouki won 1.1 million votes (33.4 percent).
World Bulleting
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