Dictatorship and democracy- an essay

Résumé du document

In December 2010 began what is called "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia. The term 'Jasmine' is much criticized in the press and is not unanimous: in fact, the term "Jasmine" was used when Ben Ali took power and the term evokes sweetness, this contrasts with the destruction and pillage the country has witnessed. Thus, many Tunisians prefer to speak of the Tunisian revolution rather than the Jasmine revolution. This revolution lasted four weeks and came to and end in January 2011 with the fall of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, since 1987. This revolution, considered non-violent, put an end to the dictatorship of Tunisia that Ben Ali had established. For four weeks, ongoing demonstrations took place, they extended throughout the country despite the repression, and these demonstrations were amplified by a general strike, leading to the flight of Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011 . So we are dealing with a country in transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, a hope that Tunisians and the international community in general have nurtured for long. We will look at the dictator Ben Ali, his party, and the repression in the country. We will try to analyze the social, economic and repressive features of this dictatorship. Finally, we will look at this transition, the new elections, the new political parties and the the new challenges facing Tunisia.

First of all, it is important to remember how Ben Ali came to power in Tunisia in May 1987; Ben Ali became interior minister and then he became Prime Minister. The same year he took the place of President Habib Bourguiba, who was old and sick, with a medical report and based on an article of the Constitution. Ben Ali took over the leading Destourian Socialist Party, then strengthened the cohesion of it and turned it into the Constitutional Democratic Rally. This political party was the hegemonic party throughout the period during which Ben Ali was in power.

Extraits

[...] He then put in place the fierce repression against all opponents : Many Islamists were killed and tortured. Freedoms were repressed and human rights violated. Based on the assumption of Beatrice Hibou, the purpose of Ben Ali was to remain in power thanks to the economic practice of the Tunisian regime, rather than repression, by the willing obedience that it would produce. But this assumption is not the result of total control, comprehensive and coherent central government, but rather a result of complex relationships and agreements among many actors of Tunisian society. [...]

[...] Finally, if democracy continues to exist in Tunisia, the neighboring countries should support democracy, and help build this democracy. Politicians should also be alert to the possible rise of religious extremism and to be careful. Finally, as Przeworski writes, stable democracy requires that governments be strong enough to govern effectively but weak enough not to be able to govern against important interests.”[16] Hibou Béatrice , Économie politique de la répression : le cas de la Tunisie , Raisons politiques, 2005/4 p. [...]

[...] Under Ben Ali, the relations between the EU and Tunisia were numerous. In France, many are critical of Nicolas Sarkozy: he had very good contacts with Ben Ali as well as former French President Jacques Chirac as who said that Ben Ali had led his country "on the road to modernization, democracy and social peace. Similarly, the French president was widely criticized due to its overly cautious reactions against the escape of Ben Ali, and the revolution against Tunisia. The European Union remains very attentive to the situation in Tunisia, but also seems to be too cautious and did not take firm positions to support a revolution against a repressive dictatorship. [...]

[...] The centrist PDP that have long been described as the second political force in the country and the secular left MDP also participated in free elections in Tunisia. If the elections seem to have been competitive, many interviews of citizens indicated that they did not have much choice. Indeed one of these parties, they had many former supporters of Ben Ali. Corruption was very strong in the country, so many political figures have been affected. So for the Tunisian population, only the Islamist party Ennahda, whose members have experienced torture, prison, abuse, exclusion from society . [...]

[...] was legitimate to govern. If other parties were not corrupt, they have not got a great score, because the politicians were not known and the people did not trust them. If the party Ennahda now has the power, he must face the economic and societal constraints to redress the country and eradicate the corruption that prevailed under Ben Ali. Tunisia, for example, an unemployment rate of over jobs lost, an inflation rate of a decline in tourism, regional development almost non-existent and widespread corruption . [...]