Islamists at the helm

Real test for Tunisia begins now 

Ten months after a Tunisian street vendor set himself ablaze to protest against a corrupt Government official, inspiring his countrymen to take to the streets, oust longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and spark anti-Government protests across the Arab world, the North African country proudly and successfully elected itself a Constituent Assembly on Sunday. 

By all available accounts, the elections were free and fair, voter turnout was reported to be at a historic 90 per cent and there were no major instances of poll violence or election rigging — an impressive feat that would put many an established democracy to shame. That less than a year after Ben Ali fled the country amid popular unrest and political uncertainty, Tunisia was able to successfully conduct nationwide polls is definitely a significant achievement. However, while the country celebrates its first democratic success, electoral results have nonetheless provided reason for concern. Even before the counting of votes closed on Thursday, it was clear that Al Nahdha, a party described as “moderate Islamist”, would be at the centre of the new Government responsible for drafting the Constitution and governing the country until parliamentary elections are held next year. This is not wholly surprising. That Islamists across the region would stand to gain from the Arab Spring is a fact that is now well-known and widely accepted. Under the autocratic regimes of the previous generation of Arab leaders, Islamists were kept on a tight leash. In the absence of any Opposition the Islamists occupied the space for dissent. This explains Al Nahdha’s victory and the defeat of the secular, liberal, Progressive Democratic Party in Tunisia. The biggest opposition to Ben Ali, the PDP won less than five per cent of the votes because it was perceived to be too eager to work with the old regime. Either way, the fact remains that an Islamist Government is coming to power in Tunisia — once Arabia’s most secular country.

Led by the long exiled party chief, Mr Rachid Ghannouchi, Al Nahdha is expected to soon announce its allies with whom it will form a coalition Government. This will be an important indicator of how the new regime will shape its policies, and more specifically, how it intends to balance state and religion. That Al Nahdha is currently negotiating with Centre-Left parties and other liberal groups should somewhat allay the fears of secularists, but there is still a long way to go before one can comment on what kind of a Government Mr Ghannouchi will eventually lead. On the one hand, there are reassuring statements by the party leadership regarding an emphasis on economic growth, encouragement to foreign investment and a promise to not meddle with the country’s progressive legal code that outlaws polygamy and allows for women’s rights. But, on the other hand, there is the party’s more conservative rank and file and reports of a ‘double discourse’. While Mr Ghannouchi looks to Turkey as a model of a modern Muslim country, his party workers prefer the Hamas-model of governance. Still, it is too early to predict how Tunisia will form the equation between the state and religion. Whatever it does, it will be closely scruitnised by Egypt, Libya and, eventually, may be even Syria and Yemen. For there is always the danger of the new regime failing to keep faith with aspirations.

Courtesy : The Pioneer