Tunisia completes its transition to democracy, elects secularist president
9 replies, posted
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79891000/jpg/_79891752_essebsi.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/12/essebsi-declared-tunisia-presidential-winner-2014122212464610622.html[/url]
[quote]Beji Caid Essebsi has won Tunisia's first free presidential election, beating rival and incumbent Moncef Marzouki with 55.68 percent of the vote, official results show.
Marzouki secured 44.32 percent of the vote, Tunisia's High Electoral Commission said on Monday.
In a Facebook post, Marzouki conceded defeat and congratulated Essebsi on winning the election,
Sunday's presidential run-off vote marked the final step in the country's transition to full democracy four years after an uprising toppled long-time leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Essebsi, 88, was a former official in Ben Ali's one-party administration, but reinvented himself as a technocrat and his secular Nidaa Tounes (Call for Tunisia) party profited from the backlash against the country's first post-revolt Islamist government.
Earlier on Monday, police fired teargas in the southern city of Hamma to disperse hundreds of youths who burned tyres and blocked streets to demonstrate against Essebsi who had declared he had won Sunday's presidential vote, residents said.
"All shops are closed. They are chanting 'No to the old regime'," said Ammar Giloufi, a local resident.
Soon after polls closed on Sunday night, Essebsi, quickly announced that he had won by a clear margin and jubilant supporters took to the streets of the capital in celebration, chanting "Beji President!"
Voting was largely pronounced free and fair with a turnout rate of 60.11 percent, less than the nearly 70 percent in the previous round and legislative elections in October.[/quote]
60% turnout doesn't sound like a representative majority vote.
uh that's higher than the last US presidential elections
[QUOTE=Bradyns;46774742]60% turnout doesn't sound like a representative majority vote.[/QUOTE]
60% is decent for a system without compulsory voting.
[QUOTE=Kommodore;46774759]uh that's higher than the last US presidential elections[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?CountryCode=US"]Actually, it isn't, but you're close.[/URL] Meanwhile, Australia, with compulsory voting, has turnouts averaging 95% (and is why I was looking up stats to start with).
[URL="http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?CountryCode=CA"]It's about average for contemporary Canada, though.[/URL]
I really hope this government doesn't go insane and start another revolution. People who are willing to back up their ideals with actions really deserve better self government. Perhaps the Arab Spring wasn't as fruitless as many say it was.
I'd love to see a more in-depth comparison between Tunisia and the other (unsuccessful) countries of the Arab Spring. What is it about their demographics or politics that enabled them to successfully change regimes to something that is actually [I]less[/I] terrible than what they had before?
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;46774892]I'd love to see a more in-depth comparison between Tunisia and the other (unsuccessful) countries of the Arab Spring. What is it about their demographics or politics that enabled them to successfully change regimes to something that is actually [I]less[/I] terrible than what they had before?[/QUOTE]
I'm sure it has something to do with their history over the period of Decolonization in the past century. What it is, I'm not sure.
was there in august as they were gearing up for the elections and i cant help but think that they have an impossible amount of work to do. didn't want to be one of those people who came away with the cliche that i was shocked by the poverty but i was. there's a ring of slums around Tunis of at least around 700,000 people. The capital is in good shape thanks to pan-arab modernist architecture that was at least kind of built to last, but the vast majority of housing is of relatively recent construction--most are unfinished, built up and added to paycheck by paycheck--and it becomes clear how badly suited to poverty the generic, modern, globalized housing model is. something about the revolution also disrupted the plastic waste diposal system so it's everywhere. it's ghastly in places. beautiful in others, of course. many Tunisians deserve so much better. great people.
[QUOTE=adamsz;46774932]I'm sure it has something to do with their history over the period of Decolonization in the past century. What it is, I'm not sure.[/QUOTE]
They have no oil, have no history with the US in their own interim president's words, and a 99% sunni majority
[QUOTE=Kommodore;46774940]was there in august as they were gearing up for the elections and i cant help but think that they have an impossible amount of work to do. didn't want to be one of those people who came away with the cliche that i was shocked by the poverty but i was. there's a ring of slums around Tunis of at least around 700,000 people. The capital is in good shape thanks to pan-arab modernist architecture that was at least kind of built to last, but the vast majority of housing is of relatively recent construction--[B]most are unfinished, built up and added to paycheck by paycheck[/B]--and it becomes clear how badly suited to poverty the generic, modern, globalized housing model is. something about the revolution[B] also disrupted the plastic waste diposal system[/B] so it's everywhere. it's ghastly in places. beautiful in others, of course. many Tunisians deserve so much better. great people.[/QUOTE]
Ah your post takes me back to my childhood in Algeria, I guess no matter the side of the border you live, the problems stay the same. The 4 story building in front of my old apartment still isn't finished after 10 years, or changed really, it's not uncommon to see the odd family live inside one of those unfinished red brick buildings you know.
Also if it's anything like Algeria, I can assure you upfront that the revolution didn't disrupt the plastic waste disposal system, it was just barely or non existent to begin with anyway.
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