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tunisia elections 2014
Beji Caid Essebsi has been sworn in as Tunisia’s president after winning the country’s first free presidential poll.
Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, secured victory last week over incumbent Moncef Marzouki.
His triumph means Tunisia – where the Arab Spring began – remains the only Arab country to move from authoritarian rule to democracy in that period.
On December 29, electoral authorities confirmed that Beji Caid Essebsi had won a run-off vote against Moncef Marzouki.
The new president took his oath of office at a ceremony in the newly elected parliament – where his party Nidaa Tounes also holds the largest number of seats.
The swearing in comes four years after protests that eventually toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
Photo AP
Journalist Naveena Kottoor in Tunis says that while this is the latest democratic milestone for Tunisia, many in the country are arguing that political transition will only succeed if newly-elected politicians usher in social and economic changes.
Beji Caid Essebsi has urged all Tunisians to “work together” for stability but critics say his win marks the return of a discredited establishment, pointing out that he served under President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
This month’s vote was the first time Tunisians have been able to vote freely for their president since independence from France in 1956.
The new president will have restricted powers under a constitution passed earlier this year.
Beji Caid Essebsi will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces but can appoint or sack senior officers only in consultation with the prime minister.
Beji Caid Essebsi has been confirmed as winner of Tunisia’s first free presidential poll.
The veteran politician secured 55.68% of the vote in Sunday’s run-off, defeating caretaker president Moncef Marzouki (44.32%), the head of the electoral commission said.
Moncef Marzouki, a 67-year-old former exile, earlier refused to admit defeat.
Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, has urged all Tunisians to “work together” for stability but critics say his win marks the return of a discredited establishment.
They point out that he served under President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali, who was ousted in 2011 after the Arab Spring revolution triggered uprisings across the region.
Beji Caid Essebsi was also in the cabinet of Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, Habib Bourguiba.
Earlier on Monday, police fired tear gas in the southern city of Hamma to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who burned tires in protest at Beji Caid Essebsi’s victory.
The results of the run-off vote were announced by the head of the electoral commission, Chafik Sarsar, who was visibly emotional.
It is the first time Tunisians have been able to vote freely for their president since independence from France in 1956.
Moncef Marzouki earlier criticized Beji Caid Essebsi for declaring victory based on exit polls.
“The announcement of victory is undemocratic and we should wait if we want to be a state that respects the rule of law,” he told supporters.
Moncef Marzouki has been interim president since 2011 and is more popular in the conservative, poorer south.
He was thought likely to attract support from the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which has played a key role in Tunisian politics since the Arab Spring but did not field a candidate.
On December 21, Beji Caid Essebsi appeared on television after polls closed: “I dedicate my victory to the martyrs of Tunisia.”
“I thank Marzouki, and now we should work together without excluding anyone,” he added.
Supporters danced and let off fireworks outside the headquarters of Beji Caid Essebsi’s secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party.
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Tunisian candidate Moncef Marzouki has refused to admit defeat in the country’s first free presidential election after exit polls suggested Beji Caid Essebsi had won.
The caretaker president, a former exile, said his rival’s declaration of victory was “undemocratic”.
Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, has been celebrating with supporters, telling them all Tunisians now need to “work together”, and promising to bring stability.
Critics say his success marks the return of a discredited establishment.
Official results are not expected until Monday evening. One exit poll gave Beji Caid Essebsi 55.5%, with several others showing similar figures.
The election marks the last stage of Tunisia’s move to democracy, after the 2011 overthrow of President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali.
It is the first time Tunisians have been able vote freely for their president since independence from France in 1956.
Moncef Marzouki, a 67-year-old human rights activist forced into exile by the Ben Ali government, said the election was too early to call.
Photo Getty Images
“The announcement of victory is undemocratic and we should wait if we want to be a state that respects the rule of law,” he told supporters.
“What I want to tell you is that we are victorious, we are victorious , we are victorious. Tunisia has won and you have won. You have won for Tunisia, for democracy and for human rights.”
Moncef Marzouki has been interim president since 2011 and is more popular in the conservative, poorer south.
He was thought likely to attract support from the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which has played a key role in Tunisian politics since the Arab Spring but did not field a candidate.
Beji Caid Essebsi appeared on television after polls closed on Sunday, saying: “I dedicate my victory to the martyrs of Tunisia.”
“I thank Marzouki, and now we should work together without excluding anyone,” he added.
Supporters danced and let off fireworks outside the headquarters of Beji Caid Essebsi’s secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party.
Beji Caid Essebsi held office under both deposed President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali and Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, Habib Bourguiba.
He led in the first round of voting last month with 39% of the vote. Moncef Marzouki polled 33%.
He is popular in the wealthy, coastal regions, and based his appeal to voters on stability and experience.
Whoever wins faces restricted powers under a constitution passed earlier this year.
The president will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces but can appoint or sack senior officers only in consultation with the prime minister.
The president will also set foreign policy in consultation with the prime minister, represent the state and ratify treaties.
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Tunisia is choosing its first freely elected president in a run-off election seen as a landmark in the country’s move to democracy.
Secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party’s candidate Beji Caid Essebsi, who won the first round with 39% of the vote, is challenging interim leader Moncef Marzouki.
Tunisia was the first country to depose its leader in the Arab Spring and inspired other uprisings in the region.
Beji Caid Essebsi, who turned 88 this week, held office under both deposed President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali and Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, Habib Bourguiba.
He is popular in the wealthy, coastal regions, and has based his appeal to voters on stability and experience.
Beji Caid Essebsi’s opponent, Moncef Marzouki, is a 67-year-old human rights activists forced into exile by the Ben Ali government.
He has been interim president since 2011 and is more popular in the conservative, poorer south.
Moncef Marzouki is likely to attract support from the Islamist Ennahda party, which has paid a key role in Tunisian politics since the Arab Spring but has not fielded a candidate.
Whoever wins faces restricted powers under a constitution passed earlier this year.
The president will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces but can appoint or sack senior officers only in consultation with the prime minister.
The president will also set foreign policy in consultation with the prime minister, represent the state and ratify treaties.
Tunisia has boosted security for the elections and closed border posts with Libya, which has been plagued by unrest.
In the build-up to the vote, a video emerged of Islamic State militants claiming responsibility for the 2013 killings of two Tunisian politicians.
The men in the video also condemned the election and threatened more killings.
About 5.2 million Tunisians are eligible to vote in the run-off poll. At least 88,000 observers are overseeing the election, according to Tunisian state media.
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Tunisians are voting to elect the country’s first full parliament under a new constitution passed earlier this year.
The election is one of the final stages in the political transition which followed the ousting of authoritarian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
There are no opinion polls, but the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which won Tunisia’s last national election in 2011, is expected to do well.
Its main rival is likely to be the liberal Nidaa Tounes (Tunisia’s Call).
Most of the major parties have vowed to tackle Tunisia’s high unemployment and to reinvigorate its economy.
Tunisia is seen as the birthplace of the “Arab Spring” – the pro-democracy movement which sought to replace autocratic governments in several Arab countries.
The country is considered to have had the most successful outcome, with relatively low levels of violence.
Tunisians are voting to elect the country’s first full parliament under a new constitution passed earlier this year (photo Reuters)
However, radical groups within Tunisia have threatened to disrupt the elections and on October 23 militants shot a policeman on the outskirts of the capital, Tunis.
More than 50,000 security personnel and nearly 20,000 soldiers are expected to be deployed on Sunday to ensure safe voting.
Around five million Tunisians have registered to vote, with overseas residents having already cast their votes on October 24.
Some observers fear a low turnout, arguing that voters have become disaffected with politics after a lack of economic progress in the years following Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s overthrow.
Results are expected on October 29. Ennahda, which currently rules in coalition with other parties, has promised to pursue a unity government even if it wins the most seats.
Tunisia is set to hold a presidential election on November 23, which will deliver the country’s first directly elected leader following the ousting of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in street protests almost four years ago.
The protests, which began in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid in late 2010, later gathered pace and spread across much of the Arab world the following year.
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