Tunisia’s next elections will cost 40 million Tunisian dinar ($13 million), the President of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) Farouk Bouasker has said.

He adds that the cost of future elections “will not exceed the amount used in the previous elections.”

Bouasker told Tunisian News Agency (TAP) that two-thirds of the elections budget will be allocated to the public bodies dealing with the electoral commission.

“It is clear that these expenses are public funds and therefore they have to be returned to the state bodies,” he said.

Bouasker said the remaining amount of the election budget will be channelled to the recruitment of polling station agents, whose number could increase to 60,000.

The elections will be held in two categories – direct elections and the district and regional elections.

The elections of the National Council of Regions and Districts is expected in October, while the presidential election will be held in 2024.

Tunisia has approximately nine million voters.