Switzerland sends election supplies to Tunisia

Switzerland has donated 12,000 ballot boxes to Tunisia to help the North African country conduct constituent assembly elections later this month. The Tunisian elections will coincide with Switzerland’s parliamentary elections on October 23. These will be Tunisia’s first free elections since the fall of ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January. "High-quality election materials can help strengthen public confidence in the accuracy of the electoral process," Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Adrian Sollberger told the media. In addition to the ballot boxes produced in Turkey and Denmark, Switzerland has also sent seals, stamps and other accessories to aid the election process. Swiss authorities decided to donate the materials as part of a United Nations development programme. The supplies cost about $550,700. In March, the Swiss government decided to support Arab Spring nations in their transitions from dictatorships to democracies.