WASHINGTON: Building a democracy in Tunisia is much more difficult than the revolution that overthrew its former strongman, Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said Tuesday.“We have asked a lot of ourselves in our revolution,” he told a World Bank conference in Washington.
“But we know, from experience, that these times of transition are not easy.” “We have followed … the transitions which have taken place in regimes like Spain, Portugal, the countries of the east [of Europe],” he said.
“And believe me, the period of transition is very difficult. It is a lot harder than building a state.” Essebsi, 84, who will meet U.S. President Barack Obama Friday, recalled that he had had a chance to participate in the building of modern Tunisia after independence in 1956.
“But that is nothing like the six, seven months we just spent, really hard months, very-very hard, especially the people who made this revolution are waiting to get everything, right away.” Since the popular January revolt that overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had locked up power for 24 years, two subsequent governments were established and fell before Essebsi took office.
“A third government, over which I preside, is here, to try to maintain and help ensure that the sacrifices made by these young people [who undertook the revolution] endure and are not lost.” Essebsi’s administration has set Oct. 23 for the election of a new constituent assembly, to be tasked with drawing up a new constitution and further solidifying the break with the past under Ben Ali.
“I hope that we will no longer be here after the 23rd, because there will be a new constituent assembly that will be a legitimate power, out of the voting boxes,” he said. “Our responsibility is to carry out the change, for ourselves, but also for the Arab world and Muslim world.” – AFP
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