Yet rising unemployment rates, corruption, and a generally unstable political environment are increasingly major threats to the continued success of Tunisia’s democracy. We will not go back to dictatorship. The most recent incident displaying the miracle of democratic development in Tunisia is that of the death of President Beji Caid Essebsi in late July, … “Millions headed to the polls to choose between two political outsiders in the runoff of its second-ever presidential elections. ", He added: "According to this demarche, the shadow of a potential re-instalment of dictatorship is lingering and can become a reality considering the popular anger over the deterioration of livelihood conditions and the weakness of the political elites who have assumed the country's leadership without being qualified for the task.". Tunisia is currently witnessing a prolonged political stalemate amid increasing tension and fear for the country’s future and democratic ideals in the Arab world. But rather than celebrating this achievement, Tunisia’s politicians are feeling the heat. “And so they’ve managed to keep their remarkable democratic experiment grinding along. They passed laws protecting minority rights; civil society groups have continued to press vocally for reforms. The country faces a glut of structural problems, a slumping economy, rising food prices, a lack of jobs and a populace clamoring for greater social services. In some places in the Arab world, where democracy has long struggled to take root, peaceful protests are still being met with murderous state brutality and repression. ", Zoghlami did not hide her concerns, stating: "It is true that the democratic experience is going through turmoil, fragility, unwise selection of officials, political conflicts and people in decision-making positions who do not care about the people's interests. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events, In a world of crisis, Tunisia’s democracy marches on, undermining or corrupting their countries’ liberal institutions, met with murderous state brutality and repression, formally became the country’s head of state, Tunisia’s parliamentary results were fragmented, the adoption of a new democratic constitution, noted Post opinions editor Christian Caryl, when pro-democracy protests are flaring once more, nostalgic for the relative stability of the days of dictatorship. Tunisia holds the distinction of being the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring, the wave of uprisings and revolutions that spread through the Arab world in spring 2011. ", READ: Tunisia's president accused of leading soft coup against state, "The conflict became public and exposed, as Kais Saied accused his opponents of representing a corrupt lobby sheltered by people in power, who are seeking to isolate by fabricating a health file and through the Constitutional Court. Professor of history and political analyst Monther Bin Youssef, in an exclusive interview with Arabi21, explained his assessment of the situation: "The 2014 constitution approved the principle of separation and distribution of authorities in order to avoid a return to dictatorship and individual rule. Bin Youssef believes that this decision: "Represented a dangerous and decisive shift in the relations between the parties to the conflict. Saied's visit to Egypt was described as suspicious and a treacherous stab in the back of democratic Tunisia, while observers linked it to the Tunisian president's subsequent statements. Kais Saied, who returned from Egypt with a load of fiery ideas, made his first attack on political Islam during his Al-Zaytuna Mosque speech to congratulate the people on the start of Ramadan. In doing so, they showed contempt for the nation’s political establishment for not solving the high unemployment rate, rising prices and lack of opportunities that helped spark the revolution.”. No. Sign up for the Today’s WorldView newsletter. On the other hand, Ennahda Movement MP Yamina Zoghlami communicated in an exclusive statement to Arabi21: "The democratic experience in Tunisia is stable. It goes without saying that in order to be democratic, a country has to do more than simply organise successful elections. Freedoms and democracy … It will attempt to cobble together a motley coalition of other secularists, leftists and Islamists. Tunisia is the Arab Spring’s single democratic success story, and has remained so—though not without hiccups—for the past seven years. Secondly, because political power is so diffuse in the country, no one could hope to play a zero-sum game and win. Since 2011, Tunisia has endured rounds of political crises, assassinations, mass protests and the worrying departure of hundreds of its citizens to join the ranks of the Islamic State. Democracy is still fragile for Tunisia. But it is still preparing for formal negotiations that will likely prove tricky. Saied swept to power on a wave of anger over corruption and social inequity. Ten years ago, the so-called Arab Spring started in Tunisia with the uprising against Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the longterm dictator. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor. "The situation is becoming more perilous as the president continues to attack the weak and worn-out government institutions that emanated from the 2014 constitution to supposedly embody the ideals of the revolution. ", Likewise, journalist Ziad El-Hani confirmed in an interview with Arabi 21: "The democratic experience in Tunisia has come under threat. So in that regard, Tunisians are again winners, proving the generalizers and essentialists about Arabs and Muslims wrong.”. It all started on 17 December 2010 with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, in protest against the confiscation of his wares. The young people who took to the streets in the revolution to defy an oppressive and dictatorial regime and firmly believe in a free homeland and a democratic rule will not allow the destruction of their revolution. Farming methods reached the Nile Valley from the Fertile Crescent region about 5000 BC, and spread to the Maghreb by about 4000 BC. He formally became the country’s head of state last week, but Tunisia is still waiting for the formation of its next government. The chapters of this conflict have varied over the past decade. Protests quickly spread across North Africa and the Middle East, but Tunisia was the only country to establish a democratic political system. This comes as rumours circulate about President Kais Saied's coup against sovereign institutions, his attempt to rule alone and taking Tunisia backwards through consolidating a dictatorial regime. Tunisia was first ranked Free in Freedom in the World 2015, but democratic progress has since stalled.Renewed international efforts are critical if there is to be any chance of implementing much-needed democratic reforms ahead of the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. Zied Ladhari, Ennahda’s secretary general, is confident about his party’s ability to follow through. At this point, you probably know the cliche. ", Bin Youssef added: "However, this option has been hampered by many factors, which have caused instability in the Tunisian transitional experience for a decade. Written by: Amir Mastouri Frequently described as the most democratic country in the Middle East and North Africa region, it still seems difficult to make a democratic case for Tunisia. The small North African nation remains the one “success” story of the 2011 Arab Spring, the sole nation to throw off its long-ruling dictator in that epochal wave of upheaval and preserve the democratic transition that followed. ", She added: "But, unfortunately, there is a big gap for which we all take responsibility because we did not proceed with establishing the Constitutional Court, which is a task that has become more needed than ever.". That may take some time. As a long-time partner in Tunisia’s democratic transition, IRI has witnessed the introduction of previously unthinkable freedoms and the democratization of key Tunisian institutions. The expert view is that we’re living in an age of democratic retreat. ", He continued: "The conflict over power between the three presidencies is one of the factors behind the failure of the current system and the state of instability. Not unlike elections on the other side of the Mediterranean, Tunisia’s parliamentary results were fragmented, delivering no clear mandate to any single party. Agricultural communities in the humid coastal plains of central Tunisia then were ancestors of today's Berber tribes. “On the contrary, the bigotries of low expectations were applied to Tunisians just as much as they were to any other community in the wider Arab world,” Hellyer wrote in an op-ed for the National newspaper. Roughly four-in-ten (38%) believe that a democratic form of government is the best solution to the mounting challenges Tunisia faces, a substantial decline from 2013 when more than half (53%) said democracy was the best way. The Nile Valley from the Fertile Crescent region about 5000 BC, and the East. 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