Democracy News

Tunisian Political Class Sets the Foundation for the Democratic Process
September 14, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

On September 13, the Financial Times published an article titled “Tunisia clinches deal on road to democracy.” According to the piece, Tunisia’s leading political parties will sign a document on September 15 that will limit the new constituent assembly to a one year term and will also outline how a president and prime minister will be appointed. Another key point that the new Tunisian constitution will address is whether the country should shift to a prime ministerial system, which would the president’s role. According to the Financial Times, political parties in Tunisia have said that such logic would diminish the risk of authoritarianism.

The constituent assembly term limit agreement is a “short but precise text,” said Iadh Ben Achour, a retired law professor who mediated the talks. It is the product of a series of meetings held in August and early September of this year that culminated in a final deal reached on September 13. Achour stated the text “will help calm public opinion, which doesn’t understand any more what is happening, with all this talk of elections and referendums.” According to the article, senior political figures in the centrist Democratic Progressive party have pointed out that by limiting the assembly’s term to one year, the deal assumed that presidential and legislative polls would be held by October 2012. Furthermore, the piece highlights that under the umbrella of the agreement, current Interim President Fouad Mebazaa will remain in office until the constituent assembly has reached a consensus on who will replace him.

The article identifies that Achour has had mixed success since taking over as Chair of the  Higher Council for the Achievement of the Goals of the Revolution, the representative body that has stood in for Tunisia’s dissolved parliament, in March 2011.

Ex-Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s 24-year rule over Tunisia ended in December 2010, after the self-immolation of a fruit vendor, whose cart was illegally seized by police ignited popular discontent against the authoritarian government. The fiery suicide set off protests among Tunisians against government corruption, high unemployment and rising food prices that ultimately led to Ben Ali’s ouster and the beginning of the Arab Spring.

For previous news on Tunisia, please see:
Tunisia’s Ben Ali Sentenced in Absentia; Saudi Arabia Refuses Tunisian Extradition Requests

Source:
Financial Times – Tunisia clinches deal on road to democracy