After months of discussion and close examination in the National Constituent Assembly, media and public discourse, Tunisia’s draft organic law to combat terrorism and money laundering has been put on hold. The Constituent Assembly’s bureau announced at the end of September that in view of the request by the Presidency and government to prioritise urgent
While I was visiting my family and friends in Tunisia this summer, I came across a new feeling, or maybe it is an impression — a feeling or impression that I never encountered before in the country that is proud today to be called the sparkle of the “Arab Spring.”I grew up there in the
The sudden collapse in 2011 of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia, one of the most robust security states in the Arab world, inspired protests from Egypt to Yemen. Some of these movements managed to topple entrenched autocratic rulers; others did not. Although Tunisia has its problems, it is safe to say that
Washington, DC – Five months after the landmark passage of Tunisia’s constitution, and with historic elections expected in October and November of this year, a new IRI poll finds Tunisia once again at a crossroads in its democratic transition. “Democracy does not lead to overnight prosperity, and Tunisians are coming to terms with this reality,” said Scott Mastic,
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
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
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
