Elections were held in Tunisia this past Sunday, the first free and fair elections in the African nation’s history. Previous elections in Tunisia were pre-determined, and 90% of votes cast were usually given to the ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Rally. The former authoritarian leader, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was ousted at the beginning of this year. The Tunisian uprising marked the beginning of the ‘Arab Spring’; protests followed in the neighboring countries of Egypt and Libya and several Middle Eastern states. An interim government has been in place since March, led by Beji Caid Essebsi. This interim government assumed the responsibility of arranging elections for a Constituent Assembly that will hold power for a year. The Constituent Assembly will consist of 217 members that will draft a new constitution and form a temporary government to rule until a legitimate constitution is established. The 4.4 million Tunisian registered voters had the choice of voting for 80 different political parties, comprised of 11,000 candidates as well as several thousand independent candidates.
Clearly democracy is something that the Tunisian people have awaited for a long time. Seventy percent of eligible voters voted in the election this weekend. Voters formed long lines as early as dawn, and many lines remained even after the polls closed at 7 PM. Though the results of this historic election have not been officially announced, the moderate Islamic party al-Nahda has claimed victory, stating that it won 40% of the votes. Of the 87 constituent assembly seats definitely decided, al-Nahda has won 37. The al-Nahda party has already discussed forming a coalition government with the two leftist parties in second place, Ettakol and the Congress Party for the Republic.
The success of al-Nahda will undoubtedly have major implications for the future of Tunisia. Though the previous constitution describes Tunisia as a Muslim nation, the government was largely secular and women enjoyed a number of rights not permitted to their counterparts in more religious nations. Thus, this election was also distinctive in that it gave the population the choice of a continuation of secular rule or a new emphasis on the country’s Islamic roots. Critics of al-Nahda fear that the party gave people inaccurate information concerning their stance and will rule more conservatively than promised. The al-Nahda party asserts that it would like to establish a moderate Islamic government that will uphold the democratic rights of the people and lead Tunisia to a more stable future (especially in the economic sector).
Many have expressed their concern over women’s place in the new Tunisia. Women not only hold the right to vote but also posses equal divorce and wage rights and can legally obtain abortions. Women played an active role in the uprising against the dictatorship. Gender parity on electoral lists was obligatory in this election, guaranteeing that at least half of every party’s candidates are female. However, most major parties have male leaders, and there are not gender parity requirements for the seats in the Constituent Assembly. Both factors make it likely that gender equality will not be realized in the actual government. Many now worry that women will lose their rights in a hidden social conservative agenda of al-Nahda. The world will certainly have to wait to see if women continue to gain political importance or conversely lose their rights under this new administration.
Without having the official election results, it is impossible to ascertain how the near future of Tunisia will shape up. Given the diversity of the nation, a fusion of secular and Islamic values in a sustainable democratic government may be the best option. A “democratic” revolution is only as successful as the government that comes in its wake. One Tunisian voter was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying, “I am voting for the future of my daughter and I'm absolutely thrilled by it.” The future of all Tunisians, men and women, hangs in the balance.
An interesting comparison: in the next year, the American political scene will tear itself to pieces over the 2012 presidential election. In this year, the people of Tunisia will face the results of their first truly democratic election. As the world anxiously awaits the consequences of Tunisia’s election, we should pay homage to the great freedom that Tunisians have won for themselves.
Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/2011tunisiaelection/
Photo: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/2011/10/20111089246280661.html
I think it goes without saying that everyone in the free world hopes for the best as the new regimes in the Arab countries begin to take shape. Although people are concerned with the possibility that Tunisia may take a turn in the direction of illiberal democracy with the majority election al-Nahda, we may take some degree of comfort in the fact that al-Nahda must form a coalition with the more leftist parties that were elected to the Constituent Assembly. The parliamentary system will hopefully undercut the influence of radical Islamic groups (at least in government) as these groups will have to moderate some of their stances in order to form a government.
ReplyDeleteI actually take the role of the cautious optimist here and say that al-Nahda is a relatively moderate Islamic party - one that both takes offense when described as 'Islamist' and considered forming a coalition with leftist parties in the Assembly. After all, a ruling Islamic party or one that is at least the predominant member of a coalition doesn't necessarily spell doom for a state. Turkey, too, is currently under the control of a moderate Islamic party - this despite the fact that Turkey was founded as a secular state. We also see this tradition in Indonesia and Malaysia, which, while not exactly bastions of human rights, are certainly not Iran, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. There is a chance that al-Nahda's victory could simply be the beginning of a new Morocco, allowing growth and integration with the Mediterranean region.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see how quickly the Arab Spring has turned into what seem to be fair elections. Though everyone must watch to make sure these governments do not fall back into some form of authoritarian rule, it good to see that there is going to be a coalition between the al-Nadha, the moderate Islamic party, and some of the more leftist parties. The coalition will possibly make it more difficult for al-Nadha if they were planning pushing policies that would be oppressive to women. I agree that it would be best for the new government to create a constitution that included Islamic and secular values because then both groups can be happy with the new constitution. I can only them the best as they are trying to get closer to having a true democracy.
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