Tunisian renewal

Tunisians began voting on Sunday to elect a constituent assembly in their countrys first free vote. The assembly,to be chosen by proportional representation,is expected to deliver a constitution within a year. It will appoint an interim government,and early forecasts predict a coalition. The interim government will also pave the way for electing a parliament and president. Laying the foundations of democracy is an exhilarating process,and this triumph of liberty and most crucially,its consolidation will be tracked by the rest of the world. But in more particular terms,the vote and its aftermath will have significant implications for the rest of the Arab world,and possibly set benchmarks that other countries in the region will be pressured by their people to meet.

The Arab Spring began when a young mans suicide set off protests in Tunisia,finally compelling the president,Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali,to flee to Saudi Arabia. That single event has sparked off protests across North Africa and West Asia,and pro-democracy movements elsewhere have delivered rather more mixed results. In the demographic heart of the Arab World,Egypt saw crowds swell in Cairos Tahrir Square,leading to the eventual deposal of Hosni Mubarak but the military that facilitated a more or less peaceful transition is yet to reveal its mind on how much and how fast democracy will be ushered in. Yemens fate is uncertain,and protests in Bahrain and Syria became caught up in the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Tunisias success in getting to this first step free and fair elections will therefore interrogate other regimes still in denial about the desire for liberty. It should also help get the Tunisian economy,the immediate reason for the disillusion that sparked off the Arab Spring,back on track.