Opinion Tunisia rises

The walls along the roads in Tunis are covered with photographs of candidates. Hundreds drive around the Kasbah in cars carrying the sticker “Ana qayyadtu (I have registered).”

Many also signed up to be elected: over a hundred parties vied for power in the polls. The culture of pluralistic politics is a novelty in Tunisia. Although the system set up by former strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali offered a veneer of democracy by allowing supporters to form an opposition,Tunisians never really had a say at the ballot box. In fact,changes that have taken place over the past nine months have allowed previously barred parties to come to the fore,like the Islamist party Ennahda,which has claimed victory in the elections.

The Ennahda comes with a reforms agenda to tackle the economic situation and many Tunisians see it as a possible bridge between Islam and democracy in the Arab world. Its leader,Rachid Ghannouchi,has said that a coalition is essential in the process of drafting a constitution. The party has also tried to distance itself from the conservative Islamist tag: the female face of the party,Suad Abdel Rahim,went on a walkabout in the town with her hair uncovered.

Tunisia has set the bar high for women’s rights in the region. It is also the first of the Arab countries to do away with the polygamy law. During the elections,each party had to nominate a woman candidate. But not everyone in Tunis is convinced that post-Ben Ali,women’s rights will be safeguarded in the country.

Outside the polling station a fierce debate was underway between a supporter and an opponent of the Ennahda. The question was whether the new Tunisia would have a conservative social code. That same question at many levels divides the secularists and the Islamists. The Progressive Democratic Party is at the forefront of the secularist parties. For one,it is led by Maya Jribi,the first female party head in the country,and its centre-left politics has struck a chord with many in the cities.

The party Ettakatol straddles the line between the two and is the one that claims to speak for the intellectuals. It is also one of the few parties that were once part of the official opposition during the Ben Ali reign.

Party politics apart,many Tunisians are concerned about the drafting of the constitution. It is this process that will decide which democratic institutions will have to be established. The three main parties have allowed themselves 11 months to complete writing the constitution.

First,the new body will elect an interim president. Though it is largely a ceremonial post,this will indicate that Tunisia’s politics has broken away from the vestiges of the system set up by Ben Ali. Currently,members of the old guard have a say in governance; and the president,Fouad Mebazaa,was the leader of the upper head of the parliament under Ben Ali.

The same applies for the election of the interim government. Although the prime minister,Beji Caid Sebsi,has been vocal in his desire to hold on to power until a new constitution is written,experts say that his exit will ensure a thorough departure from the old regime.

All parties have stressed on the need for reform,especially of the police. The men in uniform were once considered the eyes and ears of Ben Ali and although police reform was enacted immediately after he fled to Saudi Arabia,it has been stalled for some time. However,one instance during the historic polling showed how things have changed in Tunis: outside Rue Lenin a scuffle broke out between a lady and a police officer. She said she wouldn’t respect his authority and would not entertain his views,because the people had done away with the old system and its police. The officer did not reply. In the Tunisia of today,it is the people who seem to have all the

power and say.