Abelfattah Morou's independent electoral alliance has registered 20 lists for the October 23rd elections.

Registration for the Constituent Assembly elections on October 23rd began Thursday, September 1st and is set to close on Wednesday, the 7th of September. This week-long stage leading up to the actual campaigning for election, set to begin on October 1st, has revealed some surprises. The lists of candidates of various parties given to the press reveal organization in some parties, disorder in others.

As of today, September 5th, few parties have compiled complete lists of candidates. Leading with candidate lists in 23 governorates throughout Tunisia is the main Islamist party, Ennahda. No other party matches this total.

Abdelfattah Morou, an ex-member of Ennahda who has seemingly split with his party, has compiled an alliance of lists in 20 districts.

The Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT) is also well represented. They have submitted 14 lists of candidates for seats on the Constituent Assembly, mostly in coastal regions.

Another party that has submitted names of candidates for their list is the Party of Culture and Work (PCT), a new party on the left of the political spectrum. They have submitted 9 lists of candidates for the upcoming election.

The Reform and Development Party, a new center-left party, has submitted 8 lists.

The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), however, is thought to be facing some internal problems. Though they are considered a major player in the Tunisian political scene, they have published only 8 lists. The PDP office in Kairouan is known to be facing some problems after releasing an official statement on September 2nd that they froze their membership. The PDP has not yet officially discussed this pressing issue.

Two days remain to register candidates to campaign for election to the Constituent Assembly. The lists released to the press are preliminary at best and likely to change as registration ends. The early lists, however, give insight into which parties are organized and which ones are facing difficulties with the electoral process.

Source: Al Chourouk