[ad_1]
Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country's first democratically elected leader, has died at 92, according to the presidency.
Essebsi, one of the world's oldest leaders, died at the Tunis Military Hospital Thursday morning, the presidency said in a statement.
He was hospitalized for a serious illness at the end of June, but returned to intensive care Thursday, his son said. Hafedh Caid Essebsi had previously told the AFP news agency that "things were not going well".
Became prime minister in 2011 after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Essebsi was elected president three years later, becoming the first directly elected head of state after the uprising of the Arab Spring.
As Prime Minister, he contributed to the drafting of a new democratic constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and preparing Tunisia for free elections.
He also signed a historic power-sharing deal between his Nidaa Tounes movement and the Islamist Ennahda party, which helped stabilize the country, while other parts of the region such as Syria, Yemen or Libya fought against unrest and violence.
In recognition of their role, Tunisian civil society groups received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.
Although Tunisia remained a democratic exception in a troubled region, critics accused Essebsi of attempting to cede his dynastic son, renouncing certain post-revolutionary freedoms and failing to support a truth commission seeking justice. for the victims of the authoritarian regime.
Essebsi recently announced that he would not run in the November elections, stating that a younger person should run the country.
Vacuum
Concerns grew over a possible power vacuum in Tunisia ahead of the November elections, after the president's hospitalization three times in recent weeks.
The Tunisian constitution, adopted in 2014, provides for two measures in such a case.
The Prime Minister can badume the responsibilities of the President for a maximum period of 60 days. If the vacancy is longer, the Speaker of Parliament is responsible for this role for up to 90 days.
In either case, the decision must be made by a constitutional court after validating the incapacity of the president. But eight years after the Arab Spring, Tunisia still has not set up a constitutional court.
Youssef Cherif, Deputy Director of Columbia Global Centers, said Parliament Speaker Mohamed Ennaceur, 85, was to take control of the country.
"The president has been sick for almost a month now, Thus, in recent weeks there has been a lot of talk in the corridors of the presidency, the parliament, the Prime Minister's Office to find a way to do without constitutional justice, "said Cherif, of Tunis .
"Constitutional law experts say that the speaker of parliament will be the acting president for about two months, then the elections will be held after two months or the elections anyway scheduled between October and December will take place."
Legislative elections are scheduled for 6 October, followed by a presidential election on 17 November. This will be the third round of polls during which Tunisians were able to vote freely after the 2011 revolution.
Sami Hamdi, editor-in-chief of UK-based UK-based International Interest magazine, commented on Essebsi's legacy: "Tunisia is still doing much better than Libya, Syria and others, in the UK. In the sense that it avoided the war, it is not to deny that Tunisia is going through a very serious economic crisis, there are still incredible divisions between clbades and poverty. "
The unemployment rate in Tunisia is around 15%, compared to 12% in 2010, due to low growth and low investment.
Tunisia has been spared much of the violence seen elsewhere in the Middle East since 2011, although it has been targeted by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIL). over the years.
"We have seen the return of pressure groups, commercial interests and foreign interventions," Hamdi said. "Nevertheless, we still think that in 2019, all hope is not lost, that there is still some kind of democratic process."
Nobody can deny that Tunisia suffers from despair, he added.
"However, compared to other countries, we still hope that we can chart the course and move towards a more prosperous Tunisia," he said.
"There is an admission that the people still have power."
[ad_2]
Source link
