Tunisia's Arab Spring: Three years on
On Thursday, Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh of the Islamist Ennahda party announced his resignation, following through on a compromise negotiated by the ruling party. His exit comes as the Tunisian constituent assembly prepares to adopt the country's post-revolution constitution, capping a two-year process.
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Three years ago on Tuesday, mass protests forced the ouster of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
"The Tunisian revolution was the result of dictatorship and oppression," said Mourad Bouselmi, 44, who was jailed for a year as a political prisoner under Ben Ali. "Whether the first ousted dictator or the second, the Almighty God puts them all in the trash can of history."
Three years after setting off what would become known as the "Arab Spring", Tunisia continues to struggle with overlapping economic, security, and political challenges. But Tunisia's transition - at times promising, often stalled, and at several points near collapse - seems poised to pass another milestone with the expected completion of the constitution in the coming days. Compared to the coup and ongoing crackdownin Egypt, the horrific civil war in Syria, and suppression in Bahrain, Tunisia's revolution stands out among "Arab Spring" countries thus far for having survived.
"The people have become free, but we must pay for this freedom with this hard transition," said Mahmoud Boualif, a 68-year-old retired professor in a cafe in downtown Tunis. He compared the new freedoms Tunisians now enjoy to a berserk bull released from its pen.
A new constitution
Tunisia's constitutional drafting process has been plagued by delays and fallout. At its most fierce, debate revolved around the relationship between religion and state. Last week, the assembly adopted constitutional articles on women's rights praised by many observers. Representatives fell short of their goal of adopting the whole document by Tuesday's anniversary.
While many are relieved by progress on the constitution, not all are satisfied. Nidhal Hlaiem, a 29-year-old activist with Amnesty International, said she was disappointed the assembly did not abolish the death penalty, a sentimentshared by President Moncef Marzouki. The abolition of the death penalty would have represented a historic watershed in the Arab world, Hlaiem said. "Human rights principles are not divisible."
The assembly's quick work comes after months of paralysis brought on by the assassination of opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi in July. The murder plunged Tunisia into months of protests and a standoff between the largely secular opposition and the ruling Islamist party, resolved only recently due to efforts led by civil society, especially the powerful UGTT labour union. It was the second assassination that year, following the killing of leftist leader Chokri Belaid in February.
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Violence has rattled the transition, with multiple attacks, including a suicide bombing, shocking the country. Homegrown extremists have propagated the instability and next door, chaos in Libya has made border security more difficult. Since last year, Tunisia's armed forces have fought militants on Chaambi mountain along the country's western border with Algeria. The military has suffered casualties and regularly reports arrests and killings of suspected militants in bombing and raids, although details are often hazy.