| Fouad Mebazaâ ( M) |
| Mohamed Lamine Kassis ( M) |
Palais du Bardo - 2000 TUNIS
TUNISIA
Tel.: (216 71) 510 200, 510 289
Fax: (216 71) 514 608
E-mail: majless@chambre-dep.tn
| http://www.chambre-dep.tn/ |
- The total number of seats is fixed at one seat per 52,000 inhabitants.
- 152 Deputies are chosen by party-list simple majority system. In each of the 25 constituencies, the elector chooses a list of candidates without replacing the names given. All constituency seats go to the winning list.
- 37 remaining seats are allotted proportionately to parties that didn't secure an absolute majority on the basis of percentage of votes won at the national level and the highest average formula, the aim being to ensure wider representation in Parliament. The seat goes to the candidate whose name appears first on the list concerned at the time of its submission.
Voting is not compulsory.
- Tunisian citizenship or Tunisian nationality for at least five years
- full possession of civil and political rights
- disqualifications: conviction of crime, conviction entailing an unsuspended sentence of imprisonment in excess of three months, guardianship, undischarged bankruptcy, insanity, active members of the armed and security forces
- age: 23 years
- Tunisian citizenship
- Tunisian father or Tunisian mother.
- non-elective public functions remunerated out of State funds
- president and members of the Constitutional Council
- director and agent of a national enterprise or public establishment
- president and members of the Economic and Social Council
- ambassadors
- governor, first delegate, delegate, head of sector (regional public functions)
- employment for a foreign State or international organization and paid by them
- the foregoing provisions shall not apply to members of governmen
- each list must bear as many names as seats to be filled in the constituency.
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
Four candidates ran for president. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who became the second President of Tunisia since independence when he succeeded Habib Bourguiba 17 years earlier had embarked on a policy of change based on economic modernisation. His regime had nonetheless often come under criticism from the opposition, international NGOs and human rights activists, who denounced police repression, violation of freedoms, "window-dressing pluralism" and the muzzling of the press. The authorities, on the other hand, pointed to "constant progress" in the field of democracy, noting that in 1994 Mr. Ben Ali allowed the entry into parliament of the legal opposition. In 1999, he won the first pluralist presidential election with an official tally of 99.44 per cent of the vote. In May 2002, Mr. Ben Ali had the Tunisian Constitution amended by referendum, thus allowing him to seek a fourth five-year mandate in 2004. His opponents criticised that amendment, which they considered "paved the way for a life presidency".
The President faced two candidates from the parliamentary opposition: Mr. Mohamed Bouchiha of the Popular Unity Party (PUP) and Mr. Mounir El Béji of the Liberal Social Party (PSL). The other candidate was Mr. Mohamed Ali Halouani, who ran under the "Democratic Initiative" banner, a grouping of independent figures around the Ettajdid Movement (former communists); he tried to make his voice heard, despite the fact that his election manifesto was confiscated for being excessively critical of the incumbent President and his regime.
Seven parties and political groupings put forward some 300 candidates for the 189 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. President Ben Ali's party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) party, called for continuing the momentum gained in pursuing its policy of change. Most of the opposition parties, while recognising the legitimacy of past choices and the seriousness with which they were implemented, focused on specific issues where they believed the reforms should go further.
The President's regime offered numerous assurances that the elections would be "transparent", and promised progress in democratisation. Opponents and freedom advocates denounced the conditions of the election, in particular the pressures preventing them from campaigning and their lack of media access. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), during the campaign Tunisians were deprived of independent information in the media. The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), an opposition party, withdrew from the parliamentary elections. That party, led by the lawyer Néjib Chebbi, had been in contention in 16 of the 26 districts. It called for a boycott of the presidential election, from which it had been excluded from the outset, as it had had no deputies in the parliament. The party's leaders said the party withdrew because it had been censored; the authorities had banned its election manifesto, which they had deemed to be in violation of the Electoral Code.
International observers from the League of Arab States, the African Union and the International Organisation of la Francophonie, who monitored the voting, expressed their extreme satisfaction with the way the election was held in the different polling places that they visited. They welcomed the steady progress Tunisia had made towards an effective democracy.
More than 4.2 million electors participated in the elections. The President was re-elected to a fourth five-year term, having received 94.48 per cent of the vote, according to the official, final figures released the day after the election. Mr. Mohamed Bouchiha and Mr. Mounir Béji of the PSL respectively received 3.78 and 0.79 per cent of the vote, with Mr. Mohamed Ali Halouani receiving 0.95 per cent.
Seven political parties presented candidate lists in the 25 constituencies for seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The President's party, the RCD, received 87.59 per cent of the votes cast in the parliamentary elections, obtaining 152 of the 189 seats in parliament. Five of the six legal opposition parties in contention shared the other 37 seats. The MDS obtained 14 seats, the PUP 11, the Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) seven, the Ettajdid Movement three and the PSL two. The proportion of women representatives increased from 11.54 per cent to 22.75 per cent with the election of the Chamber.
On 17 November 2004 President Ben Ali was sworn in before the Chamber of Deputies during a special sitting. The same day, Mr. Fouad Mbazaa was re-elected as Speaker.
| Round no 1 (24 October 2004): Election results | ||||
| Number of registered electors | 4'609'237 | |||
| Voters | 4'215'151 (91.45%) | |||
| Blank or invalid ballot papers | 15'305 | |||
| Valid votes | 4'199'846 | |||
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political Group | Candidates | Votes | % of votes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Socialist Movement (MDS) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Popular Unity Party (PUP) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ettajdid Movement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Social Liberal Party (PSL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political Group | Total of seats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) | 152 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic Socialist Movement (MDS) | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Popular Unity Party (PUP) | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ettajdid Movement | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Social Liberal Party (PSL) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- reasons for interruption of the term: appointment to an office which cannot be held concurrently with the parliamentary mandate, resignation, death
- the election is held at the start of each ordinary session
- after members' mandates have been validated in the case of a new legislature
- notification of candidature must be made during the plenary opening sitting of the ordinary session
- absolute majority required in the first round; relative majority in the second round; in case of a tie in the second round, the eldest candidate is declared elected
- a Committee composed of 5 Members appointed at the start of the plenary opening sitting of the session supervises the voting
- the eldest Member announces the results without delay
- the results cannot be challenged
- represents the Chamber with the authorities
- represents the Chamber in international bodies
- in the absence of the President, the First Vice-President can assume his/her role and functions
- consists of the two Vice-Presidents, the 7 Chairmen of standing committees and the 7 Rapporteurs of these committees, all elected for one year
- meets once a fortnight
- assists the President
- establishes and modifies the agenda, after consultation with the Board
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- refers texts to a committee for study
- examines the admissibility of request for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides on the setting-up of such committees
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Chamber
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- checks the quorum
- authenticates the texts adopted and the records of debates
- interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Chamber
- has discretionary power to give the floor outside the agenda and thus organizes impromptu debates
- appoints the Secretary General
- organizes the services of Parliament
The Board:
- establishes the draft budget of the Chamber
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure
- must be consulted by the Head of State if emergency powers are applied
· Procedure (Art. 106 and 106 bis of the Electoral Code)
· Authority competent to accept the resignation:
(b) Loss of mandate by judicial decision (which automatically leads to failure to fulfil of an essential requirement for eligibility)
1. The President
2. The 1st Vice-President
3. The 2nd Vice-President
4. The 7 Chairpersons of standing committees
5. The 7 Committee Rapporteurs
6. The Deputy Rapporteurs
7. The other Members
· Basic salary:
+ Expense allowance:
· No tax exemption
· Pension scheme
· Other facilities:
(a) Assistants (administration)
(b) Official housing, during parliamentary activities, in a hotel
(c) Travel and transport
(d) Other
· Parliamentary non-accountability is limited to words spoken or written by MPs and votes cast within Parliament.
· Derogations:
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate.
· It applies to criminal and civil proceedings, covers all offences and protects MPs from arrest and from being held in preventive custody, from the opening of judicial proceedings against them and from their homes being searched.
· Derogations: in cases of flagrante delicto, MPs can be arrested. The Assembly is immediately informed accordingly.
· Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent MPs from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal.
· Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate and does not also cover judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election.
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (Art. 27 (1) of the Constitution):
- Competent authority: the Chamber of Deputies
- Procedure (Art. 58 of the Standing Orders). In this case, MPs can be heard. They do not have means of appeal.
· Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions.
· Parliament can suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members (Art. 27 (2) of the Constitution).
- Competent authority: the Chamber of Deputies
- Procedure (Art. 58 of the Standing Orders)
· In the event of preventive custody or imprisonment, the MPs concerned cannot be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament.
· It is provided by Parliament.
· Handbooks of parliamentary procedure:
- Standing Orders of the Chamber of Deputies
· Penalties foreseen in case of failure to fulfil this obligation (Art. 14 and 37 of the Standing Orders): warning, reprimand with forfeiture of the basic salary, loss of mandate with forfeiture of the basic salary, loss of committee membership
· Body competent to judge such cases/to impose penalties: the President; the Chamber of Deputies
· Disciplinary measures foreseen:
- Call to order
- Withdrawal of the floor
- Exclusion from the room for the remainder of the sitting
- Other measures
· Specific cases:
- Offence or insult
· Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties:
- Call to order, withdrawal of the floor, exclusion from the room for the remainder of the sitting: the President
- Other measures: the Chamber of Deputies, on a proposal by the Board
· Procedure
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
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