Democracy not backwardness
i visited tunisia and i like its openness and its educated people. it is the result of the role played by the late tunisian president habib bourguiba in shaping the collective mind of the current tunisian people and making them the best among the arabs in many ways – there is no room here to mention all the ways.
bourguiba would have been an immortal universal icon if he had not insisted on clinging to power until the last breath, before suffering from dementia and his failure to pave the way for those who come after him in a democratic manner and thus allow the dictator ben ali to fill the vacuum he left.
the death of the enlightened tunisian president, beji caid essebsi, two months ago at the age of 92, before he could supervise the process of selecting his successor brought forward the date of presidential elections which will be held on september 15 and according to the tunisian constitution the term of the interim president expires on october 23 next.
in tunisia, the president is directly elected by universal suffrage by a majority, with a second-round between the top two contenders that is if neither receives an absolute majority in the first round. a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old on the day of filing for candidacy and must be a muslim.
the candidate must have a tunisian nationality and must give up other nationality if any. tunisia’s constitution is closer to secularism, perhaps the only islamic state, besides turkey, which has given women rights from the rest of our underdeveloped world. for the first time in tunisia’s political history, it was decided to hold televised debates in the first round of elections, on three consecutive days among three groups of candidates decided by lot.
tunisia’s elections are crucial and significant, taking place between secular forces calling for openness and emancipation, and hardline religious forces calling for conservatism, and some independents.
tunisia’s muslim brotherhood is one of the strongest parties and free tunisian forces fear that they will come to power as this will constitute a setback to freedom and democracy and negatively affect all freedom laws issued in the reigns of both bourguiba and essebsi.
we call on the tunisian women and all forces of freedom and democracy in tunisia, from this humble forum to fortify the constitution of the state, preserve the gains and stay away from the candidates representing the backward forces to keep tunisia as a state of freedom and democracy as before.
perhaps in electing dr. lotfi mraihi – secretary-general of the republican people’s union – we can see a glimmer of hope that tunisia will continue to be ‘another beautiful thing’. do not disappoint the world that hopes in you choosing the best.