Tunisia “is experiencing today (October 24, 2016) a milestone in the history of Tunisia”, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said yesterday after the country held its first High Judicial Council elections. This new stage in the constitutional institution “is likely to contribute to the consecration of the foundations of the independence of the judiciary which
Finances Top the Headlines Finances have been occupying the headlines in Tunisia this week, with the passing of the 2015 budget and debates over an increase in public-sector salaries and impending slashes in subsidies. The new Assembly of the People’s Representatives managed to pass the 2015 state budget in the early hours of 11 December
Polarization of the Presidential campaign deepens The polemical exchange between presidential candidates Moncef Marzouki and Beji Caid Essebsi has continued, as the new election date of 21st December approaches. All gloves are off as the electoral contest turns into a row over who can save Tunisia and what will happen to the revolution. Marzouki has
Tuesday 2nd December sees the opening of Tunisia’s first permanent parliamentary assembly, elected in the country’s second free and fair legislative elections on 26th October. The new assembly replaces the National Constituent Assembly, which was elected in 2011 to write Tunisia’s new Constitution and oversee legislation. Over 1300 electoral lists competed in the legislative elections
All eyes have been on the presidential elections this week. The race is heating up, given the very small gap between the two top candidates Beji Caid Essebsi and Moncef Marzouki, with 39% and 33% of votes respectively. A war of words has broken out between the two, prompted by Essebsi’s statement on French radio
While I was visiting my family and friends in Tunisia this summer, I came across a new feeling, or maybe it is an impression — a feeling or impression that I never encountered before in the country that is proud today to be called the sparkle of the “Arab Spring.”I grew up there in the
The sudden collapse in 2011 of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia, one of the most robust security states in the Arab world, inspired protests from Egypt to Yemen. Some of these movements managed to topple entrenched autocratic rulers; others did not. Although Tunisia has its problems, it is safe to say that
Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly passed, on 1st May, a new Electoral Law, marking a key step towards completing its democratic transition. The new Fundamental Law on Elections and Referenda, adopted by 132 deputies with 11 against and 9 abstentions, sets out the process for organising elections and referenda, from registration of voters to declaration of
Over the past three years, the world has witnessed a number of democratic transitions take root across the Middle East and Asia. Millions of oppressed people in countries once ruled by autocrats are struggling to realize freedom and shared opportunity. Other countries around the world also now teeter on the edge of transition to more
Monday 7th April saw the opening of the plenary debate and vote on the electoral law in a session attended by 123 members of the National Constituent Assembly. The draft electoral law is based on proposals by a group of civil society organisations, including Chahed Observatory, ATIDE, Youth without Borders, the Foundation for the Future
