Mosques are being closed, local organizations banned and at least 1,000 people have been arrested as Tunisia cracks down on those suspected of sympathizing with radical Islamists. Tunisia was the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings, but the nation’s battle against terrorism is raising fears that it might be returning to its
Tunisia’s ranking among the world’s most peaceful countries fell from 75 to 79 (out of 162) during 2014, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Peace Index (GPI). Despite the slide, the report classifies Tunisia as a country with a “high level of peace.” Its position ranks second among Maghreb countries, with Morocco at
Since the Revolution, Tunisia has lived through a phase of institutional innovation, establishing a new set of institutions seeking to reflect the Revolution’s demands for accountability, justice and representation of the will of the people. The National Constituent Assembly elected on 23 October 2011 had the primary task of drafting a new constitution, but also
The Energy Commission of the National Constituent Assembly issued a decision on 5th June rejecting the proposed renewal of the Amilcar license for hydrocarbon exploration requested by British Gas. The rejection issued by the Commission is due to a number of violations of the legal regulatory framework for granting licenses, including the following: – The
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
The concept of transitions has been central to discussions of democratization for more than three decades now. “Transi- tion” has been the primary term used to describe the political changes that typified what Samuel P. Huntington labeled the “third wave” of democratization—the birth of new democracies in well over fifty countries that has made democracy
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
The National Constituent Assembly’s Commission on Finance, Development and Planning held, on Tuesday 11th March, a session with the Court of Auditors and the General Commission on Legislation to discuss the issue of financing of election campaigns, in the context of discussions about the new electoral law. The Court of Auditors had monitored election finances
In light of recent changes in the media sector in Tunisia, Jasmine Foundation spoke to Mourad Teyeb, veteran journalist, producer and rights activist, about what has changed in the media sector since 14 January 2011. What, in your view, has changed in Tunisia since 14 January 2011? A lot has changed. One cannot but recognise
