On the occasion of the conclusion of the Constituent Assembly elections in Tunisia, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov said:
28 October 2011 NewsTunisia, the country where the Arab Spring started, has conducted its first democratic elections. I welcome this achievement by the Tunisian people. Holding elections in accordance with the principles of democracy is a huge achievement for the country. It is also an example for other countries in the Arab world, which have begun to dismantle their totalitarian regimes.
Bulgaria congratulates all political parties in Tunisia, which complied with the rules of the political process. Bulgaria’s President Zhelyu Zhelev, who was my special envoy there, has found the elections to have been peaceful and conducted in a civil way, in an environment of political maturity.
We believe that the Constituent Assembly will, on the basis of consensus among all political parties represented, produce a democratic constitution. This should open the way to long-awaited reforms in the political and social sphere.
Bulgaria is ready to share its experience of transition and to support democratic forces in Tunisia.