After the elections of 2004, the Report of the Elections Observatory had been published in the media and placed at the disposal of the general public. A national Observatory had been created during the muncipal elections of the 2005. Its report had also been made public. III- Access to the leadership positions A) The Public Service 266. All the citizens have the right to accede to public office. This principle finds its consistency in Article 6 of the Tunisian Constitution which stipulates that « all the citizens have the same responsibilities. They are equal before the law ». Besides, Article 11 on the General Statutes of the staff of the Public Service stipulates that « subject to the special provisions commissioned by the nature of the functions, and which can be taken in this respect, there is no distinction in terms of gender pertaining to the application of the present law ». B) Political Participation 267. Participative democracy is translated into reality through the existence of several Political Parties which contribute to the enrichment of the national political life. a) The Constitutional Democratic Alliance (RCD): the Majority Parity Open to all the intellectual sensibilities of modernist allegiance, the RCD is, in terms of membership, the country’s first political force. A Party of liberation and of construction of the nation State, the « RCD » is currently the sole partisan political force able to present candidates in all the constituencies of the country during the various national elections. b) The Opposition Parties: an active role in the pluralist process The role of the Political Parties legally recognized in the promotion of participative democracy continues to the confirmed. The minimal representation of 20% of the seats of the Deputies and the muncipal and regional councillors est guaranteed to the Opposition Parties. The Opposition Parties participate more and more in political life, not only through their speeches and political programmes, but also by their Deputies and Municipal Councillors. ARTICLE 14 The Right to Property 268. Article 14 of the Charter stipulates that « the right to property shall be guaranteed » and that it « may only be encroached upon in the interest of the public need or in the general interest of the community and in accordance with the provisions of the appropriate laws» 269. In Tunisia every individual has the right to enjoy the ownership of the assets that he has legally acquired, to use them, to have them available and to bequeath them. In this regard, Article 14 of the Constitution stipulates that « the right to property is guaranteed » and that it « is exercised within the limits provided for by the 60

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