European Forum

First ever elections approaching in Tunisia

Coming Sunday the 23th of October, millions of Tunisians will be turning out to vote in the country’s first free elections since the fall from power of long-time dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. They will be voting for an assembly that will write a new constitution. Polls show that the Islamist Ennahda party might win most of the assembly seats, but secular parties are also showing a strong face. Just one week ahead of the landmark elections, however, violent protests over secularism in the country have erupted.

The protests run along the most important issue for Sunday’s elections: The place of Islam in the country. The national assembly will consist of 217 members which will be charged with writing a constitution for the Mediterranean country. Front-runner for the elections is the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which was forbidden under Ben Ali’s rule but maintained a presence throughout the country. On the other hand, the Progressive Democratic Party led by Ahmed Nejib Chebbi strives for a fully secular constitution, with Islam practiced only in mosques. The Ennahda party currently polls at thirty percent of the vote, with the rest of the electorate undecided. The choice will be a difficult one, with over 80 parties and thousands of independent candidates taking part. It is expected that after the vote, a coalition will be formed within the assembly. Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi has announced his willingness to talk with both religious and secular parties, because “the situation in the country cannot be handled by a single party.”

On Friday the 14th of October, protesters clashed with police during a rally against the Nessma TV channel which had aired the film Persepolis. Around 50 protesters were arrested. The movie is an adaptation of the graphic novel by the same name and tells a story set to the backdrop of the Iranian revolution of 1979. Controversially though, the movie depicts Allah as an old man with a beard. Any depictions of Allah are forbidden by the Islam. The house of Nabil Karoui, the head of Nessma TV, was burned down by protesters. On Sunday 16 October, a peaceful rally was organised by some 2,000 Tunisians in central Tunis in reaction to the extremist violence. The protesters called for religious tolerance and a secular constitution.

Sources: BBC, BBC, New Media Journal, Scotsman, Image.