Politics of Tunisia
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The politics of
Tunisia is a member of the
The
Tunisia's first democratically elected president, Beji Caid Essebsi, died in July 2019. After him, Kais Saied became Tunisia's president after a landslide victory in the 2019 Tunisian presidential elections in October 2019. He had a reputation of not being corruptible.[6] However, on 25 July 2021 he suspended Parliament, fired the prime minister and consolidated power in what opponents called a "coup."[7]
Government
Tunisia was a representative democracy with an executive president, a legislature and judiciary, starting with elections in 2014 until the president suspended parliament and began ruling by decree on 25 July 2021. Since then, all the trappings of an authoritarian state have returned. The military is neutral and does not play any role in national politics.[4]
Executive branch
In Tunisia, the president was directly elected for a five-year term. The president nominates the candidate of the party that gained the most votes in legislative elections to form a government within a month. The nominee must submit his program to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People and get the trust of the majority of its members before being appointed prime minister. Regional governors and local administrators are appointed by the central government. Mayors and municipal councils are directly elected.
Legislative branch
Tunisia's legislative branch consists of the
Before the
The upper house was the Chamber of Advisors, which had 112 members, including representatives of governorates (provinces), professional organizations and national figures. Of these, 41 were appointed by the head of state while 71 were elected by their peers. About 15% of the members of the Chamber of Advisors were women.[9]
Judicial branch
The Tunisian legal system is based on
The Tunisian Order of Lawyers is a non-profit bar association. All Tunisian lawyers are members of the Order, which does not have any political affiliations.
The Constitution of 2014 provides for a newly constituted Constitutional Court. It consists of 12 members, each of whom must have 20 years' experience in order to serve for a single term of nine years. Two thirds are specialized in law. The president of the republic, the president of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People and the Supreme Judicial Council each propose four candidates; the Assembly of the Representatives of the People approves nominations with a three-fifths majority. The Constitutional Court appoints its own president and vice president, both specialized in law.[10]
Political parties and elections
Since 1987 Tunisia has reformed its political system several times, abolishing life-term presidencies and opening up the parliament to opposition parties. The number of new political parties and associations has increased since the beginning of Ben Ali's presidency in 1987. Shortly before the revolution of 2011 there were eight recognized national parties, six of which held national legislative seats. President Ben Ali's party, known as the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), commanded majorities in local, regional, and national elections. Although the party was renamed (in President Bourguiba's days it was the Socialist Destourian Party), its policies were still considered to be largely secular and conservative. However, the Tunisian Revolution in 2011 saw its removal from power.
2009 national elections
The Tunisian national elections of 2009, overseen by the Interior Ministry and held on October 25, 2009, elected candidates for president and legislative offices. During the campaign, speeches by candidates were aired on Tunisian radio and television stations.[11] Participation was 89% of resident citizens and 90% of citizens living abroad. In the presidential vote, Ben Ali soundly defeated his challengers, Mohamed Bouchiha (PUP), Ahmed Inoubli (UDU) and Ahmed Ibrahim (Ettajdid Movement) for a fifth term in office. His 89% of the vote was slightly lower than in the 2004 election.[12] In the parliamentary elections, the RCD received 84% of the vote for 161 constituency seats. The MDS won 16 seats under the proportional representation system, followed by the PUP with 12 seats. Fifty-nine women were elected to legislative seats.[13]
The election was criticized by opposition parties and some international observers for limitations placed on non-incumbents. In one instance, the Ettajdid party's weekly publication, Ettarik al-Jadid, was seized by authorities for violating campaign communications laws.[14] Meanwhile, a delegation from the African Union Commission praised the election for taking place with "calm and serenity".[15] Prior to the 2009 election, Tunisia amended its constitution to allow more candidates to run for president, allowing the top official from each political party to compete for the presidency regardless of whether they held seats in parliament.[16]
2011 Constituent Assembly election
Following the 2010–2011 protests and the vacation of the presidency by President Ben Ali, elections for a Constituent Assembly were held on 23 October 2011. Results were announced on 25 October 2011 with the center-right and moderately Islamist
2014 parliamentary elections
Parliamentary elections were held in Tunisia on 26 October 2014. Results were announced on 27 October 2014 with secularist Nidaa Tounes winning a plurality with 38% of the vote.[18]
2019 parliamentary and presidential elections
In the parliamentary election, the Ennahda became the biggest party with 52 seats, while the Heart of Tunisia became the second with 38 seats. In the presidential election, independent candidate Kais Saied got a landslide victory with 72.5% of the vote in the second round.[19]
2022 constitutional referendum
In July 2022, Tunisians approved a new constitution in a referendum. The reform gave more powers to Tunisia’s president, meaning the role of President Kais Saied strengthened significantly.[20]
Politics and society
Women's equality
The now-defunct Chamber of Deputies had 23% women members in 2009, outpacing the
Tunisia is the only country in the Arab world where
Revolution
Ben Ali regime
President
2010–2011 revolution
The Tunisian Revolution overthrew President Ben Ali in 2011—marking the beginning of the Arab Spring.
On 14 January 2011, president
A Constituent Assembly was elected on 23 October 2011, and a new constitution was adopted on 26 January 2014. It was passed on 10 February 2014.[40]
Media
Under the Ben Ali regime, freedom of the press was officially guaranteed, but the press was highly restricted, as was a substantial amount of web content. Journalists were often obstructed from reporting on controversial events.
Five private radio stations have been established, including
Administrative divisions
Tunisia is divided into 24 governorates:
- Aryanah)
- Bajah)
- Bin 'Arus)
- Banzart)
- Qabis)
- Qafsah)
- Jundubah)
- Al Qayrawan)
- Al Qasrayn)
- Qibili)
- Al Kaf)
- Al Mahdiyah)
- Manubah)
- Madanin)
- Al Munastir)
- Nabul)
- Safaqis)
- Sidi Bu Zayd)
- Silyanah)
- Sousse Governorate (Sousse)
- Tatawin)
- Tawzar)
- Tunis Governorate (Tunis)
- Zaghwan)
International organization participation
Tunisia is a participant in the following international organizations:
See also
References
- ^ Choudhry, Sujit; Stacey, Richard (2014) "Semi-presidential government in Tunisia and Egypt". International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "Secularist Nidaa Tounes party wins Tunisia election" BBC, 2014
- ^ European Union Association Agreement, Ministry of Development and International Cooperation, 2009.
- ^ a b "Tunisian Partnership with Europe" Defense Technical Information Center, 2004
- ^ "Democracy Index 2022: Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine" (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit. 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
- ^ "Tunisia election: Kais Saied to become president". BBC News. 14 October 2019.
- Wikidata Q108837495.
- ^ The Council of Deputies, Republic of Tunisia.
- ^ Chamber of Advisers
- ^ "Article 118, Section 5". Constitution of Tunisia. 2014.
- ^ Tunisian candidates kick off campaigns, Magharebia.com, 2009.
- ^ Results of presidential elections, TunisiaOnline.com, 25 October 2004.
- ^ "Final Results for the 2009 Legislative Elections" Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Republic of Tunisia: National Observatory of Presidential and Legislative Elections, 2009
- ^ "Tunisia: Elections in an Atmosphere of Repression" Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch, 2009
- ^ "AU: October 25th Tunisian Elections Held in Calm and Serenity" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Tunisia Online News, 2009
- ^ "Tunisia's Image Belies Poll Control" BBC News, Rana Jawad, 2009
- ^ "Final Results of Tunisian Elections Announced". Tunisia Live. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Secular party takes lead in Tunisia elections". Al Jazeera. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ Rahman, Hafijur (19 October 2019). "An analysis of Tunisia's electoral results". Daily Sabah.
- ^ "Tunisia's referendum: Victory for 'yes' vote, but failure for revolution". France 24. 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Tunisia: Majlis Al-Nuwab (Chamber of Deputies)-October 2009". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- Reset Doc. Association Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Polygamy and Family Law" , Valentina M. Donini, Friday, 17 April 2009
- Agence Tunis Afrique Presse. October 16, 2009. Archived from the originalon October 17, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Tunisia: Open Letter, Strong Concern..." Amnesty International, 2010
- ^ "The Economist Intelligence Unit's Index of Democracy 2008" The Economist, 2008
- ISBN 9780813350363. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ Davies, Wyre (15 December 2010). "Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ "Uprising in Tunisia: People Power topples Ben Ali regime". Indybay. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Tunisia's Protest Wave: Where It Comes From and What It Means for Ben Ali | The Middle East Channel". Mideast.foreignpolicy.com. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Borger, Julian (29 December 2010). "Tunisian president vows to punish rioters after worst unrest in a decade". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Tunisian parliamentary speaker becomes acting president: officials Ahramonline 2011-01-15
- ^ "Tunisia swears in interim leader". al Jazeera. 2011-01-15. Archived from the original on 2011-01-18. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "A Snapshot of Corruption in Tunisia". Business Anti-Corruption Portal. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ Spencer, Richard (13 January 2011). "Tunisia riots: Reform or be overthrown, US tells Arab states amid fresh riots". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Yasmine. "Tunisia's bitter cyberwar". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Tunisia suicide protester Mohammed Bouazizi dies, BBC, 5 January 2011.
- ^ Fahim, Kareem (21 January 2011). "Slap to a Man's Pride Set Off Tumult in Tunisia". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ Worth, Robert F. (21 January 2011). "How a Single Match Can Ignite a Revolution". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ « Tunisie : la nouvelle Constitution entre en vigueur », La Libre Belgique, February 10 2014.
- Open Net Initiative, 2009
- ^ "RWB Issues Enemies of the Internet List" PBS, 2010
- ^ "Second Phase of WSIS: Tunisia 2005" WSIS, 2005
- ^ Facebook bigger than newspapers? So what?, Spot On, May 25th, 2010.
- ^ "Shems FM hits Tunisia airwaves" Houda Trabelsi, October 5, 2010
- ^ "Television TV in Tunisia" Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine TunisPro
External links
- Government of Tunisia (English)
- 2008 Human Rights Practices: Tunisia from U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
- Tunisia Human Rights from Amnesty International
- Tunisia Government at Curlie