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Political pluralism begins to take root

Political pluralism, so much a part of American life, is not always a tradition in other nations around the world. But that is decreasingly the case with Tunisia.

Since President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's accession to power on November 7, 1987, he has provided the leadership for Tunisia to develop into a republic, encouraging and even ensuring political pluralism.

The peaceful transition from the republic's beloved founding father, Habib Bourguiba, to Ben Ali - a significant date in Tunisian history - is referred to as 'The Change.'

In stark contrast to Bourguiba's presidency, Ben Ali's administration began a new era with a constitutional amendment in 1988 ending the position of president for life. Tunisia's president is now elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage, and can be re-elected for two consecutive five-year terms.

In addition to voting for president, Tunisians also go to the polls every five years to elect their representatives to the Chamber of Deputies.

Unlike most members of the U.S. Congress, the large majority of deputies practice an outside profession while serving in government. One such deputy of the majority party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), is Tijani Haddad. He continues to oversee the operations of his various businesses while holding elected office.

In Haddad's view, wearing several hats allows the deputies to bring their outside expertise to politics. This is considered indispensable for debating and voting on legislation requiring an in-depth knowledge of the issues.

Another fundamental difference in the Tunisian model of politics is that candidates begin their election campaign only two weeks prior to the vote. Tunisians believe a candidate's record carries more weight than promises made during a long campaign.

"The work that they have done over the past five years is their platform," says Haddad.

There have been significant changes in Tunisia's political landscape since Ben Ali's rise to the presidency in 1987. Opposition parties are now permitted to participate in the government, and ultimately contribute to the development and future of Tunisia.

At the core of Tunisian politics is the National Pact, which was signed on November 7, 1988. The Pact - ratified in 1992 by social, cultural and youth organizations - is a political contract, a written consensus drafted by all parties, that unites differing political ideologies and philosophies to work towards a common goal of unity and prosperity.

Starting with the 1999 elections, there will be a significant change in Tunisia's electoral process. Legislation was passed in October guaranteeing that no single party can win more than 80 percent of the seats. This will enable the opposition to occupy a minimum of 20 percent of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

Nineteen deputies from the opposition parties won seats in the 1994 elections - with the RCD winning 144 seats. But the government still remains cautious about the advances in establishing political pluralism. Not wanting to create a free-for-all, the law on political parties stipulates the repudiation of violence in all its forms, as well as extremism, racial segregation and all other forms of discrimination. No political party is entitled to base its principals or activities on religion, language, race or gender.

Tunisia's government is continuously striving to advance and promote democracy in this country of nine million by enriching the quality of life for all its citizens. In the 1999 elections, Tunisia will again enrich its political system, and political pluralism will become deeply rooted.