Though once a war-torn country ridden by corruption, North-African country Tunisia is now greatly improving. In the Middle East, democratic elections are rare, but November 23, 2014 marks the beginning of Tunisia’s first presidential elections, and things seem to be running in a consistent, smooth manner.
In what some historians call the “Jasmine Revolution,” Tunisian separatists were able to overthrow their dictator of two decades, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Under his rule, Tunisia became infiltrated with widespread corruption, rampant unemployment, and poverty. After this revolution, the Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party that was previously banned from any protest or organization under Ben Ali, set up a coalition government made up of various parties.
In January 2014, the Parliament set up by the Ennahda reformed the Constitution to vastly expand women’s rights and civil and political liberties. All of this came to be in an overall problem-free order. These relatively fast-paced events were followed by the Parliamentary Elections in late October.
Clare Halsey ’16 states, “Both Tunisia’s parliamentary and presidential elections are huge steps for the country. It’s the first round of elections since the revolution and their new Constitution, so Tunisia is truly setting itself up for democracy. The success of the parliamentary elections was monumental; hopefully the presidential election goes just as well!”
Voter turn out was quite high, and it is said the secular Nidaa Tounes Party overtook the Ennahda in these elections. In the presidential elections, twenty-six candidates are running, one of whom is female: Kalthoum Kanou is up to the challenge of potentially being elected as President of Tunisia.
Dilara Shahani ’18, brings up an interesting observation, noting that “the fact that a female candidate exists in the elections shows how Tunisia is already one step ahead of the game. In the United States alone, only now do we see women candidates rising.”
It is imperative that we understand how quickly Tunisia was able to establish this democracy. Other countries in the Middle East, such as Egypt and Libya, had much trouble after their revolutions. Instead of establishing a democracy as planned, their political system reverted back to authoritarian rule.
“I think they’re taking a good step forward for a country plagued by violence and instability after the Arab spring,” expresses Vaikunth Balaji ’16. By analyzing the potential of Tunisia, it is clear that Tunisia is up to some spectacular improvements.