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Mr.
Zine El Abidin Ben Ali
President of the republic of Tunisia
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The
Republic of Tunisia is headed by a president
who is elected every five years. Elections for
the Parliament and municipal councils are also
held every five years. Other governing and consultative
bodies include the Administrative Court and
the Court of Accounts; the Social and Economic
Council; the Constitutional Council; and the
Higher Islamic Council. There are eight political
parties spanning the ideological spectrum.
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From the day of its independence, Tunisia committed
itself to a path of progress and modernity.
The very first act of the Tunisian Assembly
in 1956 was the adoption of the Personal Status
Code, which abolished polygamy and codified
the emancipation of women and their equality
with men.
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With the accession of President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 1987, Tunisia entered
a new stage of social and political development.
President Ben Ali abolished the presidency for
life, welcomed the creation of new political
parties, and released all political prisoners.
President Ben Ali also invited Tunisia's political
parties to join with representatives of the
business community, the trade unions, the human
rights community, the farmers' association,
the national women's organization and the lawyers'
guild in co-writing the National Pact, a major
document establishing standards for democratic
political behavior. The Pact was signed on November
7, 1988. Free multiparty elections were held
in 1989, 1994 and 1999.
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Five of the
opposition parties which took part in the 1999
elections won representation in the 182-member
Chamber of Deputies. The Constitutional Democratic
Rally (RCD) holds a majority of seats. President
Ben Ali was also re-elected, in 1999, to a third
five-year term after the first contested presidential
elections.
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The crowning step of President Ben Ali's steadfast
democratic and liberal option was a far-reaching
constitutional reform which the Head of State
proposed on February 13, 2002 to introduce profound
and radical changes in the country's political
life and in the process of building of the Republic
of Tomorrow. These changes include the reinforcement
of human rights and their guarantees, the creation
of a Chamber of Counselors, the consolidation
of the role of the Constitutional Council, …etc.
Laying the ground for the 2004 elections, a constitutional
law was submitted to the Chamber of deputies to
further facilitate candidacies to the office of
President, in such a way that each of the parties
represented in the Chamber of Deputies can propose
a candidate for the highest executive office.
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Tunisians,
from all political orientations and all social
categories, massively expressed their support
to this reform in a popular referendum held on
May 26, 2002.
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