Former leader: Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, ruled 1987-2011
Interim governing body: Assembly is writing a new constitution
Summary:
The problems that caused the Tunisian Revolution were building and building beneath the surface for years. Better healthcare without a corresponding decrease in the birth rate created a “youth bulge,” and improved education without economic growth and job creation left many educated youths without work. The current global economic crisis only made the situation worse. The spark that set the Tunisian Revolution in motion came on December 17th 2010, when a young street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi in a poor town in the western part of the country set himself on fire after police prevented him from selling. Protests erupted across the western and southern parts of the country, which are much poorer than the touristy eastern coast.
Ben Ali’s regime reacted violently, with police shooting protestors in the streets. But with every single person killed many more would join the protestors, and protests quickly spread to the richer cities and the capitol, Tunis. On January 14th, 2011, Ben Ali fled the country.
Several interim governments followed Ben Ali’s regime, and elections were announced but pushed back a couple times. Finally, on October 23rd, elections were held for a Constituent Assembly which would be in charge of writing a new constitution. For more on these elections and their results, see my first post!
Issues to watch:
-The economy: Tunisia’s economy before the revolution relied heavily on tourism, and many causes behind the revolution were economic. The economy has been doing far worse since the revolution than it was before it. How will this affect the new government?
-Ennahdha and other political parties: Over 100 political parties participated in the election, and although Ennahdha won more than any others it does not hold a majority in the Constituent Assembly. What will Ennahdha’s relationship with other political parties be?
