Tunisia to hold local elections in May

By Yosra Ouanes

TUNIS

Tunisians will vote in the country’s municipal elections on May 6, the Tunisian Presidency said Tuesday.

The vote is the first to be held since a popular uprising deposed autocrat President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

In a statement, President Beji Caid Essebsi highlighted the importance of the polls in “consolidating participatory democracy and its direct impact on the life of citizens”.

He called for “the need to work to create the most favorable conditions for holding the polls”.

The vote had been scheduled to be held in October, but it was postponed twice.

Last week, Essebsi underlined his commitment during an interview with France 24 television to hold the municipal polls by April.