POLI 340 - Test 2

Question 1

Who was the NCA

Answer 1

National Constituent Assembly (NCA) was the body in charge of devising a new Tunisian constitution for the era after the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD)-regime

Question 2

Why was Ghannouchi replaced by Beji Caid Essebsi

Answer 2

Deemed too tainted by the Ben Ali regime, Ghannouchi was replaced by Beji Caid Essebsi, a longtime minister of Habib Bourguiba (Tunisia’s first president), on February 27

Question 3

What was the NCA’s main task in 2011

Answer 3

To draft a Tunisian constitution

Question 4

What was the Troika

Answer 4

The Troika was an unofficial name for the alliance between the three parties = Ennahda, Ettakatol, and CPR

Question 5

What were some socio-economic challenges faced by the interim government

Answer 5

The NCA had a few challenges:

• GDP fell
• Unemployment rose
• Tourism decreased
• Foreign investments reduced after revolution

Question 6

What is the UGTT

Answer 6

The General Union of Tunisian Workers
Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail = UGTT

Question 7

What were the 2 Salafi movements that created hostility after the Tunisian revolution (2011)

Answer 7

Ansar Al-Sharia and Hizb Tahrir are two distinct Salafi movements that created much hostility among the political class, especially among secular-leaning elites

Anti-Ennahda voices painted the rise of Salafism as part of Ennahdha’s long-term strategy for the Islamization of the country, fears largely unfounded given the many Ennahdha public statements regarding the party’s commitment to democracy and pluralism

Hizb Tahrir won accreditation as a party eventually

Question 8

What event sparked the beginning of a political crisis that would stall the constitution drafting process, incite political infighting, and block important political reform agendas around transitional justice and judicial reform

Answer 8

The attacks on the US Embassy

Question 9

What helped give rise to Nidaa Tounes

Answer 9

Deepening political tensions provided an opportunity for the rise of Nidaa Tounes (Nidaa), led by former Interim Prime Minister

Building a platform that criticized the post-revolution period as one of insecurity and instability, Nidaa’s popularity was amplified following the country’s second post-revolution political assassination

Question 10

What is the Rahil movement

Answer 10

Rahil = Departure

The assassination of Brahmi sparked the Rahi (Departure) movement, which convened daily in front of the NCA. Rahil was supported nationwide in smaller protests calling for the dissolution of NCA

Question 11

What is Jabha Shaabia

Answer 11

Jabha Shaabia = Popular Front

Leftist coalition

Question 12

How did the NSF form

Answer 12

The NSF (National Salvation Front) formed when Jabha Shaabia joined forces with Nidaa

Question 13

What did the NSF believe

Answer 13

The NCA should dissolve

Question 14

Why was the constitutional process on the brink of collapse in Tunisia

Answer 14

The Rahil movement (calling for NCA dissolution) gained support from lawyers, judges, intellectuals, revolutionary activists, and civil society organizations. This mounting opposition threatened to derail the constitutional process. Rahil expanded to include members of the UGTT and organized daily demonstrations, intensifying the call for change.

Question 15

What was hiwar watani

Answer 15

A national dialogue (hiwar watani) led by the quartet of the UGTT, UTICA [union of trade, industry, etc], the Lawyers’ Union, and the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights

Question 16

What was the result of the hiwar watani

Answer 16

The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) was tasked with completing the Constitution by early 2014

Upon its adoption, the Troika would step down to be replaced by a technocratic government responsible for organizing legislative and presidential elections within a reasonable time frame

These elections would be overseen by an independent election commission elected by the NCA.

Question 17

What were the main points of the new Tunisians constitution written by the NCA

Answer 17

The Constitution mandates power sharing through a dual executive (President and Prime Minister), grants substantial authority to the legislature, and, notably, establishes a historic precedent in the Arab world by mandating gender parity in all public elected bodies.

Question 18

Why did President Essebsi declaring a state of national emergency, resulting in heightened security services visibly present in public and tourist areas problematic

Answer 18

The terrorist attacks exerted pressure to swiftly implement a new Anti-Terrorism Law

The law faced criticism for potentially infringing on human rights and complicating security sector reform efforts

Question 19

Why did the increase in the budget for Tunisian security forces after terrorist attacks scare people

Answer 19

The terrorist attacks garnered increased international support for Tunisian armed and security forces, leading to substantial budget expansions
This raised concerns about the expansion of the security sector, which had a history of human rights abuses under the former regime

The new security-focused approach resembled a perilous formula reminiscent of the repressive Ben Ali era, during which economic security was prioritized at the expense of human rights and social justice

Question 20

Explain formation of Tahya Tounes

Answer 20

A national political crisis occurred when prime minister Youssef Chahed came to a disagreement with the president (after having a problem with his son)

This led to President urging the parties to withdraw their confidence in Chahed - Ennahdha’s refusal to do so led to a significant breakdown in relations between President Essebsi and the head of Ennahdha, Rached Ghannouchi

In January 2019, Chahed announced the formation of a breakaway party, Tahya Tounes, with himself as the leader

Question 21

How did Kais Saied - a law professor with no prior political experience - win the elections and become president

Answer 21

Kais led a small campaign, lacked his own political party, and did not present an electoral program

His election slogan, “acha’ab yourid” (The People Want), and his electoral campaign were centered on calls to restore national sovereignty and fulfill the “will of the people”

Saied’s image as an outsider to the political elite and his anti-system discourse resonated with pro-revolutionary voters and young people who felt marginalized by the post-revolution politics of consensus-building and pact-making among elites

His program centered on the elimination of the directly elected parliament and its replacement with a “bottom-up” system of what he termed “direct democracy = elections would be limited to local bodies, which would then send representatives to regional councils and a national legislature

Question 22

What is Article 80 in Tunisia’s constitution

Answer 22

Article 80 states that “The President of the Republic, in a state of imminent danger threatening the integrity of the country and the country’s security and independence, is entitled to take the measures necessitated by this exceptional situation, after consulting the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Cabinet”

Question 23

How did the Tunisian president justify invoking article 80

Answer 23

Saied justified his measures by referring to protests that took place on July 25, the rising death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic, and what was perceived as an inadequate government response to the crisis

President Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and announced that he was assuming executive authority until the appointment of a new prime minister. He also declared that he was “freezing” parliament and lifting the parliamentary immunity of all members of parliament.

Question 24

What action was not written in Article 80 but was taken by Tunisian president

Answer 24

President Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and announced that he was assuming executive authority until the appointment of a new prime minister

He also declared that he was “freezing” parliament and lifting the parliamentary immunity of all members of parliament

Parliamentarians attempted to access the parliament on the same night, only to find that army tanks had blocked all access to the parliament, following the president’s orders

This action was in contravention of Article 80, which stipulates that parliament must remain in permanent session throughout the application of the provision

Question 25

Despite growing concerns of the actions taken by president Saeed’s invoking of Article 80, etc, what did he do

Answer 25

Rather than engaging in a political dialogue, President Saied chose to further extend his control over executive and legislative powers

President Saied issued Decree 117, which purported to suspend a significant portion of the 2014 constitution - Decree granted the president sole control over executive power, broad legislative authority, and increased control over the judiciary

Saied also announced plans to establish a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution = This move faced criticism from the vast majority of Tunisian political parties, as well as numerous civil society organizations

Question 26

What was the NDP’s founding beliefs

Answer 26

The NDP’s founding leadership emerged from modest origins, predominantly from the Sahel region.

They believed that only mass mobilization could ensure economic and social development in preparation for an independent Tunisia. In line with these progressive views, the NDP supported women’s rights, modern education, and a secular state, enshrined in a liberal constitution