By Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui,
The Tunisian Parliamentary elections held on Sunday have paved the way for a secular democratic government according to indications of the preliminary results. The Nida Tounes party (Call of Tunis) led by the 87-year-young, former prime minister Beji Said Al Sebsi has grabbed 83 seats in the 217-member national Parliament with 38% votes. The official results are expected to be announced by 30th October 2014.
The Islamist party Al Nahda secured 68 seats with 31% vote share. It was followed by the Free Patriotic Union which bagged 17 seats with 7% vote share, the Popular Front – party of leftists and bathists got 12 seats with 5% vote share and the Afek Tounes won 9 seats with 4% vote share.
As a political observer and commentator of the Middle East for the last 20 years, I have not seen such a smooth democratic transition of power in this volatile part of the planet. The Al Nahda party which lost the elections has no acrimony. On the other hand, Rashid Ghannouchi, a prominent leader of Al Nahda had to say: “Whoever comes out top, Nida or Al Nahda, the main thing is that Tunisia needs a government of national unity, a political consensus.” It shows the political maturity of a party in the fledgling democracy which is just four years old.
Tunisia is known as the land of the Arab Spring which gave a hope to the youth about a better future with democracy. Despots and dictators in Egypt and Libya were discarded to the dustbins of history. The Tunisian elections held for the first time under a constitution won accolades from the chief of the observer mission of the European Union (EU) Annemie Neyts-Utterbroeck who described the voting in Tunisia as “more than satisfactory.”
A stable democratic government had eluded Tunisia as it saw four interim governments since 2011. Tunisia has a population of 10.3 million with a total literacy rate of 74% with 83% of the males and 65% of the females literate. It has a GDP per capita of $8,800 but there is rising unemployment and price rise. Some 80,000 security forces were deployed to thwart any attempts to derail the polls by suspected extremists. About 3,000 Tunisians are reportedly fighting on behalf of the ISIS on the Syrian border. The polls, however, were by and large peaceful.
Tunisia secured freedom from France in 1956 but the French influence continues in their life style. Arabic and French are official languages. Tunisia holds a beauty contest every year to choose Ms Tunisia. Western tourists used to flock to Tunisian beaches and world heritage sites declared by UNESCO such as Medina Tunis. Many western countries are just two to three hours away from Tunisia. After the revolution which overthrew Zain Al Abedine Ben Ali, western tourists are still keeping away from this cheap tourist destination setting Tunisia back by 500 million Dinars.
The western influence on Tunisian society is perhaps responsible for the rising rate of divorce which is about 50%. The aviation industry is flying high with the manufacture of a light aircraft which was unveiled in January this year by Oxygen Aeronautics at the National School of Engineers in Sousse. The 275-kg aircraft is being used for flights up to 1200 km. It is also used for pesticide application on farmlands, surveillance at the borders and to protect the Tunisian territorial waters from fish poachers.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Tunisia is a shining example of perseverance for a democratic way of life ushering the path to peace and development. The Spring continues in this Arab land forever leading to prosperity.
