TUNIS, TUNISIA— Analysts concur that any transitional phase is fraught with difficulties. The transitional journey in Tunisia is no exception. Arguably, the said period kicked off three years ago, marked by the immolation of the late El Bouazizi back-then in December 2011. Hitherto, the transitional journey is still, more than ever, alive, especially in this period marked by the taking place of legislative and presidential elections in the country. Yet, as a Tunisian, If I were to pick the year which witnessed the de-facto watershed to democracy between 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, I would not think twice before choosing 2013.
Ups and downs were a major feature that hallmarked the whole transitional period, right from the start till those very moments of writing these lines. The scenes of strikes in the streets and the exchange of verbal attacks in the parliament’s dome and on TV were a landmark over the last three years. Yet, 2013 was so special. It was a tough year due to the scale and significance of the events that made the headlines on various local media outlets. Division among political elites widened to the extent that polarization grew deeper and deeper. As a result of this rising tension between political factions, Tunisia was open to the worse and the unexpected, including failing its spring as in Syria and Libya. On the 6th of February 2013, a prominent leftist political figure, Chokri Belaid, may God bless him, was assassinated. This tragic event had had tremendous repercussions. Sooner after this tragic event, Mr. Hamadi Jebali declared his resignation as a prime minister since he failed to form a new government of technocrats. Mr. Ali Larayed was picked by his party, Ennahda, to succeed his predecessor. Tough times persisted. The cycle of violence did not come to a halt. The number of strikes soared likewise food and fuel prices. Any move taken by Larayed’s government sparked controversy. The situation was hovering between critical to more critical, yet stable. Political life reached an impasse, especially after the second assassination of another political figure, this time Mr. Mohamed Elbrahmi, may God bless him, and the killing of eight soldiers next to the borders with Algeria during the holy month of Ramadan. The demands of angry people sharpened to the extent that the downfall of the government was their first and last demand. A number of parliament members withdrew their membership. All these events cemented discord. Panic took root in many hearts. As popular unrest over security and economic failures mounted, the whole transitional process was doomed to failure. Tunisia, the “fledgling democracy in the region,” was heading to the unknown. Our revolutionary ideals were on the verge of dashing out. How to reach the shore of safety in order to save the country first, and then the democratic process second, was the major question that vexed all the smart political figures.
Despite the unbridled tension and the slow pace of economic recovery, Tunisia’s political factions agreed to compromise for the sake of national unity. A marathon of talks organized by UGTT, UTICA, and The Tunisian Association for the Defence of Human Rights proved successful as all political parties, including those in the coalition and those in the opposition camp, agreed to craft a clear political road map. They all agreed to form a government of technocrats that would rule the country till the end of the transitional period; they also agreed to form an independent commission whose main task is to prepare the 2014 legislative and presidential elections, including the drafting of the new constitution. All these demands were met and concreticized on the ground and in due time. Few days ago, the legislative elections were held and were acknowledged by the entire world for their transparency, fairness, and democracy, although the one can’t deny that small infractions and deficiencies occurred in the outside spectrum of the electoral process. The upcoming presidential elections will certainly follow suit.
Although I did not present a detailed catalogue of the events of 2013, I have tried to spot light on the major ones. Unquestionably the journey was not easy but worthy of taking. The success story between different political factions in 2013, which spared the country a déja-vu scene as in Libya, Iraq and Syria is not odd if we bear in mind that Tunisians are the grandchildren of Okba Ibn Nafaa. More than that, Freedom of speech and constructive debate is no strange to Tunisia as History teaches us that Amazighs and Arabs of Ifriquia (Old appellation of North Africa), always conquered and never wiped out. Tunisia has proved to the world that it is indeed a moderate country where ISIS-like extremist ideas of the like of “only my opinion is right” and their extremist holders have all but a place among us.
Today, Tunisians are no longer eager to know who will win the elections as much as they are eager to know the style of the ruling government that will rule the country in the upcoming five years. In one word, the coming government should lay the foundations necessary for an economic growth and “Revamp” is undeniably the catchword.
Finally, the principles of Islam and its open and moderate objectives should be highlighted and instilled in our people if we ever want to send a positive image to the world at a time where the image of Islam is tarnished tremendously by some who refer to themselves as “Muslims.”
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Imed Lassoued is a Tunisian journalist. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in literature from the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Humanities La Manouba of Tunis, Tunisia. [/symple_box]
