Friday, January 14, 2011

Tunisia ': "The velvet revolutions can take place in an Arab country"

A month of unrest and finally to shake twenty-three years of a reign unchallenged. Driven by the pressure of the street after a final day of particularly violent riots in Tunis on Friday 14 January, the Tunisian president, Zine El-Ali AbidineBen, ended up leaving the country. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi will become the interim President, with the support of the army.

The latter launched Friday night on television, a call for national unity. His mission now is to form a transitional government until general elections to be held in six months. Larbi Chouikha, political scientist and activist of the Tunisian League of Human Rights, discusses the day's events and opportunities that lie atop the Tunisian state.

This was predictable because today the popular demonstrations were a real popular success. Tunisia is all down to say no, and the message was understood by the president. The police were overwhelmed and had even removed and hidden. This is the first step: Ben Ali's gone. The question for us now is: "How to stop this hemorrhage of looting, which becomes unbearable?" It's a stampede that frightens us.

These kids will no longer attack only to family property Trabelsi, but police stations, commodities of all. It is still under curfew and was very scared. It is hoped nevertheless that this announcement will appease the spirits. This shows that in any case of velvet revolutions can take place in an Arab country.

For the first time people stood up to say "no, going in," and it was a success. Whatever the new government, or president, who will appear, he must deal with the street. It is my greatest pride: we are not a people falls into obedience, we can disobey. It could even have a domino effect in the region.

Algerians in particular have much followed our movement. The choice of Mohammed Ghannouchi is a lesser evil. Constitutionally, it would have been the Speaker of Parliament, Fouad M'Baza, but there must be a discussion at the highest state level. M'Baza had to be challenged or denied. The choice of Ghannouchi is certainly a choice negotiated by all parties concerned, politically and militarily.

The opposition parties, who feared the political chaos caused by a sudden departure of Ben Ali, are reassured because it is a person's system. That's the most honest politician and consensual in the eyes of much of the political class Tunisia. It has never been wet in cases of corruption and nepotism.

Her political itinerary is old and dates from the time of former president Habib Bourguiba. He is a man of dialogue that has always been attentive to what was said by the opposition and curiosity vis-à-vis what she thinks. I think we can only give him positive injury. The question now is, "Ghannouchi How will he handle?" This will depend on several factors: the weight of the army and the role that the ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Rally, will play.

Mohamed Ghannouchi will most certainly put together a government of national unity. It would have unity government be as representative as possible. It is especially essential constitutional review in view of early parliamentary elections he has to organize the next six months. Everything was locked under Ben Ali to counter the opposition, is reviewed.

We can not yet say what the opposition parties will participate in this government, but many political opponents in exile should already come back to Tunisia. Interview by Helen Salon

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