Important security plan for NCA election in Tunisia

An important security plan, mobilising the deployment of 22,000 soldiers and 20,000 policemen, is to implemented to guarantee good progress of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) election, announced on Tuesday the justice and interior ministries' representatives. In addition to the 22,000 soldiers from the three armies, 2,500 vehicles for land transport, 14 for air and sea transport have been mobilised for the transfer of ballot boxes and the voting equipment, said Colonel Mokhtar Ben Nasr, during the regular meeting with the press at the Prime Ministry. An armed solider, under the order of an officer, will be appointed to each polling station. Military patrolling and joint ones, with the national security units, will be organised. A rapid intervention force will also be on duty, he said. The Interior Ministry will appoint from 2 to 10 policemen for each polling station, said the Ministry's Spokesman Hichem Meddeb. "The next elections are to take place under the best security conditions. There is no need to be alarmed and believe the rumors," he added. Since early October, the security campaigns carried out jointly with the National Guard and the Army led to the arrest of some 5,500 people, including 3,000 wanted persons, he further said. Besides, Mr. Meddeb called any citizen in possession of a non-licensed arm to hand immediately it to the competent authorities. The penalty sanctioning the fact of having an arm without a licence could reach a 10-year imprisonment.