Tunisia: Government

Principal Government Officials

Chief of State: Interim President Fouad M'Bazaa
Head of Government: Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi

Until 2011, Tunisia was a republic with a strong presidential system dominated by a single political party. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali served virtually uncontested as President of the Republic beginning in 1987, when he deposed then-President Habib Bourguiba. However, on January 14, 2011, following nearly two months of popular demonstrations and protests calling for his removal from office, Ben Ali abdicated power and voluntarily entered into exile in Saudi Arabia. Shortly after his departure, Speaker of the Parliament Fouad Mbazza ascended to the position of interim President of Tunisia on the basis of Article 57 of the Tunisian constitution. Upon the resignation of Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi on February 27, Mbazza appointed former diplomat and cabinet official Beji Caid Essebsi to the position on February 28.

Prior to Ben Ali’s departure, the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), was essentially Tunisia’s sole legal political party for 25 years--including when it was known as the Socialist Destourian Party (PSD). The RCD was dissolved by judicial ruling on March 9, 2011. Under the former regime, the president was elected to 5-year terms and regional governors and local administrators were appointed by the central government. There was also a bicameral legislative body. Under the former regime, the judiciary was nominally independent and generally responded to executive direction, especially in politically sensitive cases.

The Tunisian revolution ushered in nationwide calls for political reform, including popular demands for a new constitution, to be drafted by an elected Constituent Assembly. That election is scheduled for October 23, 2011. Length and terms of office, authority of the legislature and separation of powers are subject to change under the new constitution.

The military has historically played a professional, apolitical role in defending the country from external threats. Since January 2011 and at the direction of the executive branch, the military has taken on increasing responsibility for domestic security and humanitarian crisis response.

Tunisia's independence from France in 1956 ended a protectorate established in 1881. President Bourguiba, who had been the leader of the independence movement, declared Tunisia a republic in 1957, ending the nominal rule of the Ottoman Beys. In June 1959, Tunisia adopted a constitution modeled on the French system, which established the basic outline of the highly centralized presidential system that continues today. The military was given a defined defensive role, which excluded participation in politics. Starting from independence, President Bourguiba placed a strong emphasis on economic and social development—especially education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs, policies that continued under the Ben Ali administration. The result was strong social progress--high literacy and school attendance rates, low population growth rates, and relatively low poverty rates--and generally steady economic growth. Over the years, President Bourguiba stood unopposed for re-election several times and was named "President for Life" in 1974 by a constitutional amendment.

When President Ben Ali came to power in 1987, he promised greater democratic openness and respect for human rights but the ruling party, renamed the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), continued to dominate the political scene. The RCD won all seats in the Chamber of Deputies in 1989, and won all of the directly elected seats in the 1994, 1999, and 2004 elections. Ben Ali ran for re-election unopposed in 1989 and 1994. In the multiparty era, he won 99.44% of the vote in 1999 and 94.49% of the vote in 2004. A May 2002 referendum approved constitutional changes proposed by Ben Ali that allowed him to run for a fifth term in 2009, which he won with 89% of the vote (and 89% participation). The referendum also created a second parliamentary chamber, the Chamber of Advisors, and provided for other changes.

The number of legalized political parties in Tunisia has grown exponentially since the Tunisian revolution. There are now over 100 legal parties, including several that existed under the former regime. During the Ben Ali era there were eight legal opposition parties—but only three, the PDP, FDTL, and Tajdid functioned as independent opposition parties. Islamist opposition party Nahda was deemed a "terrorist organization" and outlawed by the Ben Ali government in 1991 and operated in exile in London, but quickly reasserted its position as a major political player following the party’s legalization by the post-Ben Ali government. While some older parties are well-established and can draw on previous party structures, most of the 100-plus parties extant as of August 2011 are small and inexperienced.

While there were thousands of official, established non-governmental organizations under the former regime, civil society was weak and divided due to the same strictures that undermined Tunisian opposition political parties. Since the revolution, some organizations have reconstituted themselves and hundreds of new ones have emerged. For instance, the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), the first human rights organization in Africa and the Arab world, operated under restrictions and state intrusion for over half of its existence, but is now completely free to operate. Some independent organizations, such as the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD), the Association of Tunisian Women for Research and Development, and the Bar Association also remain active.

Lack of political freedom characterized the Tunisian landscape under the former regime. Tunisia ranked 154 out of 178 countries in the 2010 Reporters Without Borders’s World Press Freedom assessment and the State Department's annual human rights report consistently cited infringements on freedoms of assembly and expression, as well as reports of torture and abuse of prisoners. The oppressive political environment, coupled with extreme economic inequality, opaque political and economic national decision-making and the government’s insensitivity to popular demands for greater economic opportunity, gave rise to a popular revolution that began on December 17, 2010 when Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian vegetable vendor from the interior of the country, self-immolated to protest the government’s confiscation of his produce. His subsequent death resulted in protests in his hometown of Sidi Bouzid, which quickly spread to other cities, including the capital. Following weeks of protests, including some clashes between demonstrators and security officials, former president Ben Ali and his family fled Tunisia leaving the country in the hands of a caretaker government.

Trade unions have played a key role in Tunisia's history since the struggle for independence, as well as during the December-January unrest that led to Ben Ali’s departure. These organizations, such as the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), historically focused on bread-and-butter issues, but at some critical moments in Tunisia's history have played a decisive role in the nation's political life – including during the Tunisian Revolution. However many trade unions, similar to other non-governmental organizations, were also victim to political influence under the former regime and are now in the process of reconstituting themselves to participate in the country’s new political and socio-economic debate. Following Ben Ali’s ouster, two new trade confederations, the Union of Tunisian Labor (UTT) and the General Confederation of Tunisian Labor (UCGT), emerged to challenge the status quo.

Tunisia remains a leader in the Arab world in promoting the legal and social status of women. A Personal Status Code was adopted shortly after independence in 1956, which, among other things, gave women full legal status (allowing them to run and own businesses, have bank accounts, and seek passports under their own authority). It also, for the first time in the Arab world, outlawed polygamy. The government required parents to send girls to school, and today more than 50% of university students are women and 66% of judges and lawyers are women. Rights of women and children were further enhanced by 1993 reforms, which included a provision to allow Tunisian women to transmit citizenship even if they are married to a foreigner and living abroad. The government has supported a remarkably successful family planning program that has reduced the population growth rate to just over 1% per annum, contributing to Tunisia's economic and social stability.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
The current government of Tunisia has continued the country’s long-time policy of seeking good relations with the West, including the United States.

Wedged between Algeria and Libya, Tunisia has sought to maintain good relations with its neighbors despite occasionally strained relations. Tunisia and Algeria resolved a longstanding border dispute in 1993 and have cooperated in the construction of a natural gas pipeline through Tunisia that connects Algeria to Italy. In 2002, Tunisia signed an agreement with Algeria to demarcate the maritime frontier between the two countries.

Tunisia recognized Libya's Transitional National Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people in August, shortly before Qadhafi forces ceded Tripoli. Tunisia's relations with Libya had been erratic since Tunisia annulled an agreement to form a union in 1974. Diplomatic relations were broken in 1976, restored in 1977, and deteriorated again in 1980, when Libyan-trained rebels attempted to seize the town of Gafsa. In 1982, the International Court of Justice ruled in Libya's favor in the partition of the oil-rich continental shelf it shares with Tunisia. Libya's 1985 expulsion of Tunisian workers and military threats led Tunisia to sever relations. Relations were normalized again in 1987. While supporting UN sanctions imposed following Libyan-sponsored terrorist airline bombings, Tunisia has been careful to maintain positive relations with her neighbor. Tunisia supported the lifting of UN sanctions against Libya in 2003, and Libya is again becoming a major trading partner, with 2009 exports to Libya valued at $830.8 million and imports at $559 million. Tunisia has accepted over 100,000 Libyans fleeing violence stemming from the civil conflict that began in that country in February 2011. Except for a small percentage currently living in camps, the vast majority of Libyans seeking temporary asylum in Tunisia are living in the homes of private Tunisian citizens and are permitted to draw on Tunisian public resources (e.g., health care and public education).

Tunisia has supported the development of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), which includes Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya. Progress on Maghreb integration remains stymied, however, as a result of bilateral tensions between some member countries. Tunisia has played a positive role in trying to resolve these tensions.

Tunisia has also long been a voice for moderation and realism in the Middle East. President Bourguiba was the first Arab leader to call for the recognition of Israel, in a speech in Jericho in 1965. Tunisia served as the headquarters of the Arab League from 1979 to 1990 and hosted the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) headquarters from 1982 to 1993. (The PLO Political Department remains in Tunis.) Tunisia has consistently played a moderating role in the Middle East peace negotiations. In 1993, Tunisia was the first Arab country to host an official Israeli delegation as part of the Middle East peace process. The Government of Tunisia operated an Interests Section in Israel from April 1996 until the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000. Israeli citizens may travel to Tunisia on their Israeli passports.

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