Waging Peace: Tunisia

On Dec. 17, 2010, the suicide in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid of fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who was being harassed by local officials, sparked a revolution toppling then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and led to pro-democracy protests throughout the Arab world. Ben Ali, who took power in 1987, ruled Tunisia through the 1990s into the new millennium, until his ousting in January 2011. Under his rule, Tunisia became one of the most repressive political states in North Africa, despite being one of the strongest states in the region economically. The so-called "Jasmine Revolution" of January 2011 signaled an end to Ben Ali's repression and the beginning of the Arab Spring. Demonstrators emerged from all social classes and included trade unionists, youth, women's organizations, lawyers, and other professionals. The message of the protests evolved from economic inequality to unite around political demands pushing for Ben Ali's eventual departure on Jan. 14 to Saudi Arabia.

Protracted public demonstrations called for the departure of former regime loyalists. After several initial changes in governance, former Speaker of Parliament Fouad Mebazaa assumed the presidency, as outlined in the Tunisian Constitution in the event of the office of the president being vacated. After appointing former Minister Beji Caid Essebsi as prime minister, the government announced its intentions to suspend the constitution and to hold elections for a Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting a new constitution. The polls, initially announced for July 24, were later postponed to Oct. 23 to allow for technical preparations for the elections to take place.

Monitoring Elections

In March 2011, Carter Center Democracy Program staff visited Tunis to learn about the current political and electoral dynamics. Based on its assessment and the welcome of a broad range of Tunisian stakeholders, the Center decided that international observation of the electoral developments in Tunisia could play an important role in increasing the transparency of the electoral process and supporting a credible genuine process.

The Carter Center launched its Tunisia election monitoring mission in July 2011 with the opening of a field office in Tunis to monitor electoral and political developments. The Carter Center received a letter of invitation from the High Independent Authority for the Elections (ISIE) to observe the electoral process in mid-July, followed by official accreditation on Aug. 4. Ten long-term election observers were deployed in late July to observe the voter registration process. Read full text >

Election Reports

View Carter Center election reports for Tunisia >