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The Democratic Transition in Tunisia
Achievements and Challenges
28-29 March 2014 Carthage Thalasso Hotel Gammarth
With the start of the National Dialogue talks and the adoption of the new Constitution that enjoyed broad political consensus, Tunisia is finally taking a breath of fresh air as it starts 2014 with renewed hope of building a better democratic future. Under the framework of further shedding light on the achievements and challenges facing the democratic transition in Tunisia, The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy organized its Third International Conference entitled "The Democratic Transition in Tunisia: Achievements and Challenges" on the 28 and 29 of March, 2014 at Carthage Thalasso Hotel Gammarth in Tunis,Tunisia.
The conference brought together more than three hundred national and international experts and personalities from all over the world. The aim was to present the achievements and to discuss the issues that could contribute to the success of the democratic transition in Tunisia, especially now that the country is moving towards to the even more precarious test of organizing free, fair, and transparent elections that will open the door to the consolidation of its nascent democracy.
The conference was opened by CSID President Dr. Radwan Masmoudi who welcomed the attendees, speakers, and honored guests coming from more than 20 countries. In his address, he conveyed to the audience that the central purpose of the conference was to celebrate the vital and historical achievements made by Tunisians and to evaluate the different hardships and challenges threatening these achievements. Dr. Masmoudi also spoke about the success of the democratic transition in Tunisia which has been built upon consensus-driven politics to which CSID contributed through a number of seminars, forums and workshops designed to facilitate negotiations and consensus-building.
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Dr. Masmoudi then introduced Mr. Mounir Thabet, Resident Representative of United Nations in Tunisia to help open the day's event and set the stage for the many discussions and debates to come. In his remark, Mr. Thabet stated that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is honored to support this international conference as it had done the previous year. He also explained that UNDP has been supporting the democratic transition in Tunisia as well as in a range of the Arab Spring countries, saying that: "[they] believe in democracy which is part of the economical and social development." He furthermore added that the UNDP program worked on facilitating national dialogue, building capacities of civil actors and helping organizations to be responsible and more effective. According to Mr. Thabet, the success that Tunisia has achieved through consensus and a peaceful transition of power has inspired the entire world. He ultimately said that despite these achievements, such as the adoption of the constitution and the preparation for the upcoming elections, the transitional period in Tunisia is still in its early stages and that many challenges remained ahead.
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Following Mr. Thabet was Dr. Rached Ghannouchi, President of the Ennahdha Party. He started by speaking about the key achievement to date - one that will go down in history - the adoption of the new Constitution representing all Tunisians. According to him, this is due to the consensus established between Tunisians and the absence of serious social conflicts and sectarian divides, as is seen in other countries. The Tunisian revolution has put an end to a dictatorial regime, and the new Constitution, which enjoys broad political consensus, has renewed everyone's hope of building a better and truly democratic future together. Although the democratic transition was threatened by the struggle opposing the government to the opposition, it was saved by the leadership and initiative shown by many civil society actors and institutions, which enabled the dialogue between different political parties in order to reach agreements. Dr. Ghannouchi highlighted the accomplishments of the democratic transition including the ruling Troika coalition between parties following the elections of October 2011 as well as the new Tunisian Constitution. He also noted that the most immediate challenges facing Tunisia's transition are linked to guaranteeing the respect of commitments and obligations regarding the upcoming elections. Finally, Dr. Ghannouchi concluded by asserting that both terrorism and unemployment are the most important challenges facing the transitional period in Tunisia, especially since they have been shown to be closely related and often coterminous.
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Panel 1 - Economic and Financial Challenges in Post-Revolution Tunisia
The first panel of the conference on Economic and Financial Challenges in Post-Revolution Tunisia was moderated by Mr. Iskander Rekik, international consultant and Tunisian human rights activist and businessman.
The first presentation was made by Mr. Elyes Fakhfakh, former Minister of Finance, who pointed at the main problems that has encountered the Tunisian economy: unemployment and low rates of foreign investments. He also spoke about various social challenges and demands and the response that led to the deterioration of fiscal balances. Strikes and protests in both public and private sectors have led to a decrease in the growth rate and the income. In addition to that, he stated that the revolution has coincided with the global economic crisis that has led the shrinking of export markets. In short, Mr. Fakhfakh talked about two main challenges the country is currently facing. The first is good-governance. According to him, corruption must be tackled with emergency and decentralization and must be implemented efficiently. Concerning the second challenge, he noted that the educational system requires a thorough review and revaluation. The former minister insisted on maintaining national unity and sovereignty. He closed by saying that security remains a significant challenge to improve the economy.
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The second presentation was made by Mr. Mohamed Ridha Mabrouk, expert at the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies. He discussed the issue of transparency in the Tunisian economy. Echoing much of Mr. Fakhfakh's comments, Mr Mabrouk also spoke about the development plan associated with the economic perception and its high cost. According to him, looking for economic growth in spite of the fact it is not sufficient to solve the unemployment problem is a mistake. He further pointed out that the development plan is also related to foreign trade, which needs serious revision. He concluded by saying that the top priority is to promote values of transparency, end impunity, and fight corruption.
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The third speaker in this panel was Mr. Ridha Saidi who talked about the economic situation after the revolution which is characterized by a production crush, a decline in many sectors as well as the rise of social demands, protests and strikes in 2011. However, following the elections of 2011, a new spirit was born despite the difficulties. Thus, the political choice was to push economy forward and take measurements emphasizing the role of state in the development process through investment and pumping money into private sectors. The social demands in 2012 and the increase in wage demands had an impact on the state budget. Mr. Saidi also spoke about the initiatives that were taken to clean up the business environment and encourage businessmen in order to lure direct foreign investment in 2012 and 2013. In his opinion, transparency and administrative reforms have a direct influence in the progress of economy.
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Panel 2 - The Role of the International Community in Supporting Tunisia
Dr. Masmoudi came back to the stage to welcome the distinguished guests of the second panel, Ambassadors of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and the United Nations.
Mr. François Gouyette, French Ambassador in Tunisia, opened the panel by talking about the accomplishments Tunisia has achieved in the recent years until the adoption of the constitution. He stated that "France has bet with its European partners on the success of the Tunisian battle for democracy". He further spoke about the positive impressions of the French president on the constitution after his visit to the National Constituent on 7 February, 2014. Tunisia is founded on the rule of law, where there is separation of powers, gender equality and freedom of conscience guaranteed. He added that this success was due to the sense of responsibility of Tunisian political forces that participated in the national dialogue. He ultimately expressed his hope that this spirit would remain till the upcoming elections.
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His Excellency, Mr. Hamish Cowell, Ambassador of United Kingdom in Tunisia, was the next to address the conference hall. He congratulated Tunisia on its great achievements, and insisted on the work that lies ahead for of their country Tunisians to complete the democratic process. Mr. Cowell noted that the success of this period depended not only on the will of Tunisians but also on the will of the international community which has an important role to support democracy in Tunisia. In addition, he claimed that Tunisia was a role model, and that it showed a great maturity through its national dialogue initiative that was supported by civil society organizations, such as CSID, as well as political parties and their leaders. According to him, this ability to dialogue has made Tunisia an example to be followed in North Africa and in the whole region. He then ask "how can the international community help in this period?" and summarized the challenges faced by Tunisia in three points: economy, security, and the building of democracy. He answered the above question by saying that the international community could help through financial assistance and grants by international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the many other international democratic support mechanisms.
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Following Mr. Cowell was Mr. Mounir Tabet, the Resident Representative of the United Nations. He focused his speech into three main points regarding the international community support for Tunisia. First was dialogue and the consensus between the different parties. The second point was related to the activity of the National Constituent Assembly and the fact that it successfully resumed its work despite of the assassinations, the tensions and the boycott of some of the deputies. The third point is linked to the Quartet initiative between syndicates and human rights organizations that brought about the consensus-driven negotiations that led to the adoption of a new Constitution as one the most progressive of the region. Mr. Tabet also noted that the absence of violence and civil society initiatives have played a great role during this step. According to him, the remaining challenges are related to the promotion of democracy, as well as building a sustainable economic development and ensuring security. In this regard, he stated that the role of international community in this period should be more supportive. Finally, he called this very international community to trust the tried and proven Tunisian capacity to manage this difficult period of transition.
Mrs. Nagma Mallick, Ambassador of India, was the next to speak. Mrs. Malik talked about the difference between last year and this year concerning the transitional period. According to her, this year Tunisia has shown a great success and made historical achievements with regard to the adoption of the Constitution that came after arduous discussions and negotiations. She also stated that her country will continue supporting the democratic transition in Tunisia. She further expressed her admiration for Tunisian people, who showed the world that despite the differences of opinions and history of political violence, citizens are able to coexist peacefully. In addition to that, she said that her country could help Tunisia with its expertise with regard to funding, capacity building, and technology over the long term. She noted that India has given hand through elections administrating and organizing workshops as well as donations including electronic voting machines. She concluded by insisting on the economic challenges that remain very important for the success of the democratic transition.
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Closing this session was the German Ambassador Mr. Andreas Reinick. He pointed out that among other roles that international community could play was the sharing of experiences and international best practices. He noted that Germany is ready to provide assistance, including in the distribution of drinking water in rural areas as well as job creation, noting that Germany has gone through such experiences before with its own reconstruction following the Second World War. Moreover, Mr. Reinick stated that although Germany could share its experience with Tunisia, it could not and would not make decisions on its behalf. The third remark was about participative governance, which, according to him, listening to people and their needs are the most important thing to make the right decisions. Concluding his remarks, he said that the experience of democracy was not an easy one and though he has not been in Tunisia long, he was dazzled by the consensus reached through the national dialogue.
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Panel 3 - Challenges and Opportunities for Successful Elections and Transition
The third session of the Annual Conference brought together representatives of the major political parties in Tunisia to shed the light on the challenges and opportunities for successful elections and transition.
The session was moderated by Mr. Salaheddine Jourchi, a renowned political analyst and Vice-President of CSID. The first speaker was Mr. Rafik Abdessalem, former Tunisian Foreign Minister and member of Ennahdha Party. He considers that Tunisia has thus far been successful in its democratic experience for the following reasons: first, it is one of the most socially and culturally balanced countries that does not have significant sectarian, ethnic or religious divides. Secondly, the success of Tunisia is also linked to the culture of political reforms that has been in place since the last three years. With regard to the challenges ahead, he summed them up in five points including the existence of a regional environment incompatible with any democratic transition, the presence of an extended political polarization, as well as the security and economic challenges.
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 The second speaker was Mr. Mouldi Riahi, head of the parliamentary block of Ettakatol Party. He emphasized that despite their different political visions and opinions, Tunisians proved to the world that they are able to dialogue and overcome the hardships. He also noted that the National Constituent Assembly has first to put an end to the legislation of the basic law of the temporary body responsible for the control of the constitutionality of drafted laws as well as the election law by the end of April. Moreover, he said that the National Constituent Assembly has to quickly elect the Truth and Dignity Committee in order for the transitional justice system starts to settle and hold accountable the corrupt system. Finally, according to Mr. Riahi, the NCA should give priority to economic and social projects that would ease the task of the new government.
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Following Mr. Riahi was Mr. Salim Ben Hmidane, member from the Congress for the Republic Party, who spoke about the potential dangers of the democratic transition that threaten the unity and the integrity of the country, including regional divisions, political instability, political apathy, low turn-out in elections, terrorism and extremism. He also cautioned against foreign intervention, division between the public awareness and the revolutionary consciousness, the system of tyranny and corruption, the postponement of a real estate revolution and the obstruction to the emerging democracy.
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Mr. Abdelaziz Massoudi was the fourth speaker of this session, one of Al Massar Party's founders and leaders. He noted that the democratic transition included three phases. The first phase is the one immediately following the revolution which also includes the 2011 elections. The second phase, and the most difficult one according to him, is the one that has received the various negative critics that disrupted the consensus process. The third phase brought about the roadmap, the change to a national consensus government, the adoption of the constitution, the revision of recruitments and the establishment of the Constitutional Committee. He stated at the end of his speech that consensus is Tunisia's destiny and coexistence is always possible despite the different visions and thoughts of the citizens.
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The fifth speaker in this panel was Mr. Mohamed Abbou, the president of the Democratic Movement Party. He emphasized on the characteristics of Tunisian society that knows no tribal or religious conflicts between citizens. He also recalled that the army historically has not interfered in politics in Tunisia. But, he regretted, some people sought to minimize these important characteristics and focus instead on points of tension and conflict. He further spoke about the dangers that are threatening the democratic transition such as the involvement of the military and the security in politics. He suggested that the coming government should rigorously apply the law to any person who tries to break it or encourage violence or a coup against the democratic path. Concerning electoral fairness, he said that it includes various things including media reform and the transparency in the funding of political parties. Finally, he concluded that Tunisia was a pioneer of Arab democracy and that it was of great benefit to every Arab citizen.
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The following panelist was Mr. Mohamed Goumani, the General Secretary of the Reform and Development Party. He considers the Tunisian example as the best of the democratic transition models in the Arab world. However, according to him , we should not deny the difficulties that face the democratic transition . In this regard, he thinks that after three years of the Revolution, we still under-evaluated the "heavy legacy left by the system of corruption and tyranny". He also noted that one of the problems was that the government did not agree on a national project to set the outlines of a democratic transitional state, which hampered the process of democracy. He said also that the government failed to fulfill the public's expectations including employment, regional development and the improvement of living standards. On the positive side, he stated that the Tunisian experience is encouraged and supported from abroad.
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 The last speaker in this session was Mr. Faycal Jadlaoui, an independent member of the National Constituent Assembly. He spoke about the accomplishments that Tunisians have achieved. He emphasized that the third transitional period includes many challenges such as establishing national unity, and protecting state institutions that have been marginalized, as well as resisting terrorism.
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Banquet Dinner - Islamists and Secularists: Pitfalls, Challenges and Opportunities in Democracy Building
At the end of the first day of the conference, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy organized a banquet dinner in the honor of the evening's guests and the audience. "Islamists and Secularists: Pitfalls, Challenges and Opportunities in Democracy Building'' was the main topic discussed that evening.
The first speaker was Mr. Vincent Jeiser, Sociologist and Political Scientist, who said that unfortunately the optimism that was carried by all Tunisians was replaced by pessimism. The road to the democratic transition will not be easy no matter is the country, whether in Latin America, Eastern Europe, in Africa or in the Arab world. Furthermore, we do not have to worry about the confusion and ambiguity that we are exposed to through the process of democratic transition. Mr. Jeiser also spoke about the impression that international media gives about Tunisia: sometimes as an Islamic republic and sometimes as a secular country. Actually, this is result of the speech of politicians, media and elitists, but not Tunisian citizens? Mr. Vincent believes that the Tunisian citizens are not interested in such a political game. He spoke sholtry about the various challenges of this period of transition including the institutional and the administrative decentralization within the scope of reform. Instead there should be, according to him, a decentralization of the mentality. Mr. Jeiser concluded by affirming that all Tunisians have one goal which is the struggle for democracy.
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The second speaker was William Lawrence, Professor at George Washington University, who spoke about his experiences in countries of North Africa in politics and human rights. Mr. Lawrence first claimed that the main concerns for Tunisians are reducing poverty, fighting corruption and creating employment opportunities especially for young people. Second, he noted that Tunisia has turned a political corner, but great economic problems remain important and dangerous, which require careful management. Third, he considers that the problem is in itself the solution namely "what will we do to solve the problem of youth and diploma holders?" Mobilizing and empowering Tunisian youth and particularly universities graduates through consolidating their skills will contribute efficiently to achieve the goals of the 2011 "dignity" revolution in Tunisia.
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The third speaker was Dr. Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an Assistant Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at the university of Denver: " Lessons of democracy from the Arab Spring: Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, from the perspective of comparison ". Mr. Hashemi talked about the pillars of democracy, which he summed up as follows: civil society, political society, rule of law, an economic community. He mentioned also the specifics of the revolutions in the different Arab world countries. In the Syrian issue, said that the peaceful revolution brutally crushed and citizens suffered from inhuman crimes, nearly 200 people every day. As for the Egyptian revolution, he has said that the only role in politics and the economy was for the army and that what is happening now is what happened in a "period of Mubarak's rule, but without Mubarak". Regarding Tunisia, he has said that the specifics of the system was different from Syria and Egypt, especially in relation to the role of the military as well as to regional and international factors which were also different . He also said that the leaders of secular and moderate religious leaders in Tunisia agreed to reach a consensus regarding contentious issues. He concluded his lecture by tackling and analyzing the most crucial key decisions of Enahdha party and which contributed according to him to achieve a considerable political and social stability in the country.
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Panel 4 - Dialogue between Islamists and Secularists, and How to Build a Common Ground between Them
Beginning on the second day of CSID third International Conference was the fourth panel, a parallel session, headed by Mr. Salaheddine Jourchi, Renowned Political Analyst and Vice-President of CSID.
The first paper of the panel was introduced by Dr. Omair Anas, researcher, on the theme of "The Shift from Islamic State to Civil State". He started by expressing his delight of being invited to the conference. He further noted that the Tunisian model is not related to democracy only but to the understanding of Islam in a modern society and how to build a common ground between Islam and democracy. He concluded by saying that one of the biggest problems of Islamic movements is their suggestions of Islamic State. How should be an Islamic State in a modern society? How economy, culture and social affairs would be perceived? These questions were raised by Mr. Anas as the key concerns of Islamic parties and movements now.
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The second paper of this panel was introduced by Mrs. Maryame Alami, Ph.D candidate and Researcher at the University of Kenitra-Morocco, on the subject of "Bridging the Islamist-Secular Divide: the Role of the Intellectual". She spoke about the role dictatorship played in enlarging the gap between the Islamists and secularists. According to her, this kind of regime has participated in eliminating political pluralism. That's why Islamists used to see in secularists an extension of dictatorship. On the other hand, political Islam was considered a threat to political stabilization and national security. She also noted that the elimination of dictatorship means building a new democratic regime based upon understanding and cooperation. She added that the Arab Spring has brought about variety and pluralism of ideologies conducive the building of a regime based upon dignity and justice. Mrs. Alamy claimed that despite the challenges, the period which came after the Arab revolutions has paved the way to all secularists and Islamists to work together in order to build a consensual regime. She emphasized that they have many things to share in terms of integration as well as in terms of common principles, such as justice, freedom, etc. Both of them should thus be well aware of the importance of dialogue.
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The third paper was presented by Mrs. Monia Hammami Cheikh, Professor of Linguistics and Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Humanities in Tunisia. She started by defining Secularists and Islamists and then she spoke about the relationship between them in Tunisia .She also noted that the Islamist-Secularist conflict has begun since many decades and can be summed up in a number of stages. The first was the organization of the National Commission for Amnesty created by the Tunisian League for Human Rights in 2001. Second was the meeting hold in Aix en Provence in France in 2002 that brought together Islamists and secularists, such as representatives of Ennahdha, the Congress for the Republic party, Ettakatol party and the Democratic Progressive Party, for the first time. Third, it includes the sit-in organized by the lawyers in the Council House in 2005 to protest against the humiliation of their dean. This protest gathered Islamist and Secularist activists who united for common goals and against a common adversary. She also mentioned the establishment of the committee of the 18th of October 2005 that included both Islamists and Secularists who were looking forward to a democratic transition in Tunisia. Concerning the post- revolution period, she said that after the elections, yesterday's friends have become today's enemies, the dialogue has broken down. According to her the conflict between them was not ideological. She ended by noting that the Quartet initiative headed by the UGTT and Tunisia's employers' organization (UTICA) paved the way for a new technocratic government formed through consensus and dialogue.
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The fourth paper was introduced by Mr. Mokhless Sebti, Professor of Islamic Thinking and Culture at Hassen II University-Casablanca, on the theme of "A Systematic Approach to the Search for Common Ground: Between Islamic and Secular Views". He emphasized that both Islamists and Secularists should overcome this ideological estrangement in order to expand their knowledge scope and fill the spiritual void.
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Panel 5 - The Experience of Democratic Transitions in other Countries of The Arab Spring
In the meantime, a parallel session on the following theme: "The Experience of Democratic Transitions in other Countries of The Arab Spring "and moderated by Mr. Lotfi Hajji, a Journalist at Aljazeera TV, was taking place. Mr Hajji noted that democratic transition in every Arab country is characterized by specific features belong to the nature of its society and it political system.
The first presentation was made by Mr. Karim El Chazli, Doctoral candidate at Sorbonne University, on "The Role of the Egyptian Judiciary in Democratic Transition". He spoke about the relationship between the Egyptian judiciary and politics in the post revolution era. He mentioned that it was not possible to understand Egyptian policy without taking into consideration the role of the judiciary. Furthermore, Mr. El Chazli noted that right after the revolution, the authority of the street took over the usual strong executive power, as the public opinion has become more peremptory. He mentioned that some verdicts that convicted symbols of Mubarak's regime in cases of financial corruption were politicized. According to him the struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the judges resulted from a variety of reasons, including the modifications that have occurred in the Shura Council, such as the increase of the retirement age, which could have driven 3000 judges out from the Egyptian judiciary.
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The second paper was introduced by Mr. Rajab Sayed Dessouki, MA candidate in Political Sciences, on the topic of: "Who is the Secular? Issues and Problems in the Classification of Seculars in Egypt". He started by defining the notions of Secularism and Civil State stating that after the revolution the secular forces has begun to promote for another definition of Civil state different from the religious state. This has created confusion among the political parties in Egypt. He further emphasized on the relation of both Secularists and Islamists to the military institute which has to be reviewed. Secularists in Egypt were defining themselves as liberals, democratic, civil, and modern but they do not want to take part in elections and want to impose their views.
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The third speaker in this panel was Mr. Boutayeb Bennaceur, Assistant Professor and Doctoral candidate, on the subject of: "Arab Spring Countries and the Role of Civil Society in Instilling a Participatory Democracy". He spoke about the important role played by civil society organizations in light of the Arab revolutions. In this concern, the duty of CSOs consists in establishing a national culture among citizens and sensitizing them on the importance of participating in political life. In addition to that, he noted that civil society in Tunisia is highly diverse, and that it should emphasize on establishing a participatory democracy that would involve citizens and civil society. CSOs play a significant role in decision making and in suggesting laws. He concluded by saying that countries would not achieve democracy if they do not cooperate with CSOs.
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Bio & Abstract
The last speaker in this panel was Mr. Baqer Darwish, Bahraini human rights activist, on the topic of: "The Role of Civil Society in Supporting the Democratic Transition in Bahrain". He mentioned that civil society organizations in Bahrain suffer from hard challenges including the laws and measurements which are limiting their activities. Many arrests and attacks are occurring against activists calling for democracy and political change. According to him, human rights and political initiatives were disregarded by the state which strategy is security-oriented whereas civil society is more directed towards dialogue.
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Panel 6 - Risks and Threats
This parallel session was moderated by Dr Hamouda Ben Slama, former Minister. He started by introducing the topic of the session and the lecturers, before pointing out that Tunisians have gained several achievements since 14 January, 2011, notably in the field of freedom of expression and constitutional rights. However, along with these achievements, several risks remain and are threatening the democratic transition, especially the negative impact of violence in the economic development.
The first paper was presented by Mr. Anouar Boukhars, an Assistant Professor of International Relations at McDaniel College and a non-resident scholar in the Middle East Programme of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on the topic of: "Dealing with the Salafist Surge: Competing vision". He stated in his paper that Salafism is a Sunni intellectual tradition, which goals encompass such elements as the application of Charia law and the establishment of an Islamic state in the country. Nevertheless, the strategies differ depending on the international and internal circumstances of each country; Some are peaceful whereas are violent, particularly towards security and military forces. According to him, during Ben Ali's era, Salafism was practiced by a minority and often abroad (particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq). Salafi Jihadi appeared in Tunisia in 2002 in Djerba (Ghriba Synagogue bombing) and the events of Soliman in 2006. Mr Boukhars mentioned that economic and social conditions contributed to the spread of Salafism in Tunisia. Salafi Jihadism became the glance of hope for many Tunisian youth as they marginalization by the state authorities increased. Regarding Ennahda's attitude toward Salafism, Mr Boukhars claims that Ennahda was confronted with the challenge of handling Salafi radicalism and violence because it shaded the light on the ideological struggle between reformist Islamism and Islamism. The current challenge is how to deal with the salafist surge without falling in the use of violence that may exacerbate the process of democratic transition in Tunisia. One of the solutions that might help to solve this issue of salafi Jihadism after the revolution in Tunisia is indeed to integrate the activists of this movement, particularly youth, to break the vicious circle of exclusion and violence.
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Bio & Abstract
Mr. Boukhars was immediately followed by Mrs. Lynn Cole, an International Mediation Specialist, who presented a paper on: "Using mediation to Reduce Risks and Develop Economic Viability in a Diverse Islamic and Secular Tunisian Civil Society". She spoke about the importance of mediation and its role in the reduction of the phenomenon of violence. According to her, mediation is a universal, fast and effective tool to be used in conflict resolution and peace-building. The United Nations also acknowledged the importance of mediation as a means to resolve disputes. Many civil society organizations are encouraged to resort to a neutral third person to mediate between the parties to in order to prevent and reduce violence and conflicts. Mrs. Cole sees that the use of mediation in the judiciary in Tunisia has a paramount importance to improve foreign investments and development in the private sector of economy. Reducing the risks of violence through mediation would help achieve economic growth, and in particular that gives confidence to the International parties to support Tunisia.
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The third presentation was made by Mr. Taieb Hamdi, an Engineer and Civil Society Activist, on the topic of: "Positive Discrimination in the Interior Areas of Tunisia in the New Constitution and its applicability: the Governorate of Gabes as a Case Study". Mr. Hamdi gave a historical overview about Gabes and its relationship with the center prior to January, 2011 and after. He spoke about the economic marginalization which Gabes is still facing. The lecturer used the example of the budget of the municipality of Gabes and he compared it with other municipalities before and after January 14 to highlight the absence of balance between regions in the national budget. According to him, the absence of state's investment in all sectors either economic, social or health alienated foreign businessmen from the governorate. Job opportunities are very low compared to other governorates and the centralization of all public administrations discouraged foreign investments.
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The fourth talk was delivered by Mr. Felix Tusa, a Researcher and Security Sector Reform Expert on the subject of: "Security Sector Reform and the Democratic Transition in Tunisia". He talked about the recent achievements in Tunisia, especially the drafting of the constitution and the peaceful transition to a technocrat government formed by national competencies which will lead the government to fair and free elections. Mr. Tusa focused on the close relationship between the security sector and the democratic transition. At the very last, he concluded, Tunisia is still facing different challenges since the security sector needs many reforms.
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Panel 7 - The Role of Civil Society and Organizations & the Media in a Successful Transition to Democracy
This session was chaired by Mrs. Jamila Ksiksi, President of the Civil Pole Coalition and a civil society and activist. She said that CSOs - along with media - have a crucial role in achieving a successful democratic transition in Tunisia.
 The first speaker of this session was Mr. Mohammed Ben Jemaa, MA degree in Computer Sciences and Administration. His presentation was entitled: "Errors in Tunisian Printed Press after the Revolution: A comparison between the Report of the Tunisian Union Association of Journalists and the Report of Citizen Media". Mr. Ben Jemaa said that the press is implicating citizens in public affairs knowing that the Tunisian press after the revolution became a place yielded to fancies and interests. According to him media is now submitted to financial, ideological and political polarizations. Thus, it is of utmost importance that the citizen observe the media, as it is part of the strategy of the improvement of the media sector.
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Next to speak was Mr. Paul Gready, Professor of Applied Human Rights and Director Director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, UK. His paper was on the topic of: "From Transitional to Transformative Justice: Prospects for Tunisia". He first introduced the concept of transitional justice, which in his view it has foundations such as; truth, justice, reforming institutions. Nevertheless, it is not limited to this definition and it also includes education, reconciliation, etc. According to Mr. Gready, transitional justice focuses more on institutions, especially with regard to the so-called policy of exclusion in Tunisia. It also says that transitional justice is guided by human rights principles and laws. He added that inequality is a major source of conflict, that is the reason why that the transitional justice will not be the primary source of social change, the priority should be given instead to economic and social rights.
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The third and final presentation was made by Mr. Kacem Kasir, a Lebanese Journalist and a Political Writer, on "Media and its Role in Supporting Democracy: Social Media and Alternative Media". Mr. Kacem pointed that social media networks have played a major role in the Arab revolutions. He also mentioned the phenomenon of citizen journalism which is replacing regular journalism through the dissemination of news, videos and pictures on websites, namely the so-called 'alternative media' and the reason is that media has evolved from centralized media to citizen media. Furthermore, he stated that the ease of communication and freedom of expression does not mean that democracy is now in a better place. Despite the fact that a new media has secured freedom of expression and has broken the censorship, it has not necessarily lead to the desired democracy. The important thing is to convert this virtual democracy to real democracy, and this is what the Arab world really need.
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Panel 8 - Guarantees and Guidelines for Successful & Democratic Elections
This session was chaired by Mr. Nabil Labassi, a lawyer and and a human rights activist. Mr. Labassi said that to ensure free and fair elections, there is several guidelines to follow and apply in order to not exacerbate the path of the Tunisian Revolution.
The first to speak was Mrs. Kalthoum Badreddine, President of the General Legislative Committee of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly. She talked about the drafting of the electoral law and she mentioned that the date for the discussion of law is on 7 April 2014. Mrs. Badreddine said that they have received 4 proposals of electoral laws from Civil Society Organizations. The first law was Representatives and Chahed Observatory about Voters' Registration. The second proposal tackled all kinds of elections, presidential, legislative and referendum. It was adopted by several deputies in the NCA, prepared and drafted by a group of experts and essentially civil society organizations: Youth without Borders Citizenship Center. The third project is related only with legislative elections, it was prepared by the Association ATID. She added that the Committee relied on all these proposals when drafting the electoral law and it took into consideration remarks given by Ofiya Coalition and Mourakiboun. Mrs. Badreddine stated that the most important statement in the current project is to avoid the shortcomings that were in Decree 35, which occurred in the applicability for the October 21 elections, how to ensure plurality and effective participation of all segments of society and the political spectrum, and avoid exclusion. As for registration, she has said that the Committee adopted the voluntary registration. She also said that the General Legislative Committee placed penalties for each violation of the rules or principles of the organization of the campaign finance, accounting process and the process of expenses.
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Mr. Saad Alrawi from Iraq, former Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission for elections in Iraq, was next to address the audience on the subject of "A Reading on the Draft Electoral Law In Tunisia. He said that the article of voters 'registration is an essential pillar in elections and also there is a need for a specialized electoral court. Regarding the article 21, Mr. Alrawi says that there are heavy demands on the candidacies. The article 4 needs to be more detailed of whether to accept or not accept the candidate, explain the reasons for not accepting and allow the appeal for candidates. With regard to campaign publicity and sanctions, he pointed that these points should be separately detailed and accurate. He also said that there should be having custom papers to appeal or complaint. According to Mr. Alrawi the Tunisian electoral code is efficient to ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections.
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Closing this session was the final speaker, Mr. Waleed Zidi, an international electoral expert from Iraq. Mr. Zidi first began by claiming that the integrity of elections is an important pillar in the establishment of democracy. Also, he considered that a fair democratic elections is achieved through the availability of key aspects such as the right to vote to all adult citizens without exception, the regularity of elections, non-exclusion for any group to form a political party, the provision of the right to compete for all seats in legislatures ... He also stated that political parties have an important role in strengthening the integrity of the elections within the transparency of electoral work. Mr. Zidi talked about another aspect which is respect of the framework of the election law that consists of the Constitution and the electoral law. Add to that, he stated the importance of following international standards and good practices to ensure the integrity of the election.
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Panel 9 - Transitional Justice and Reforming the Judicial System
Halfway through the second day of the CSID International Conference, the session on the "Transitional Justice and Reforming the Judicial System" was moderated by Mr. Kamel Gharbi, President of Ofiya Coalition. Mr. Ghrabi stressed that the success of the transition stage needs transitional justice and reform of the judicial system in order to achieve the goals of the revolution.
The first to address his speech was Mrs. Leila Bahria, President of Chahed Observatory and former Secretary of State, on the theme of: "Transitional Justice and the Reform of the Judicial System". Transitional justice is disconnection with the past, compensation of victims and rehabilitating them. Mrs. Bahria believes that this path has taken a long time in Tunisia because the law of the transitional justice was not part of the NCA's priorities. Transitional justice consists of a group of laws internationally agreed upon and which their main goal is to achieve the national reconciliation. Concerning the reform of the legal system, she said that there is no revolution without an independent judiciary and that judiciary should be cleaned up. But, unfortunately she said, politicians and civil society do not have a clear vision on the reform of the judicial system.
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Mrs. Fatma Sellami was the next to present her paper, a Researcher in Sociology, on the subject of: "The transitional Justice: Holding the previous regimes Accountable". She noted that Tunisia has to reply for two main demands of people; first, it has to give an explanation about what happened in 14th of January and second to give people a period for mourning. Further, she spoke about the German experience after the fall of Berlin Wall. Finally, she emphasized on the common points between Tunisia and Egypt with regard to the national unity.
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The third paper was about "The transitional Justice and Reform of the Judiciary: Accountability, Determining and Responsibilities and Jurisdiction", presented by Mr. Jalel Saafi. He suggested certain mechanisms for transitional justice. Holding the pillars of the ex-regime accountable has a great importance to achieve the democratic transition. Finally, he emphasized that civil society should have access to National Archives and implicated in the decision-making process.
Bio & Abstract
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The following speaker was Mrs. Leyla Slama, Doctoral candidate at the Center for Applied Human Rights at the University of York (UK) on the subject of: "The Transformative Role of Victims in the Transitional Justice Process", which she considers as a significant role in the process. She talked also about the legal framework for compensation of the United Nations with regard to fairness right and compensation for victims of damage caused byhuman rights violations, which was approved in 2005.It was considered as a basic document to implement and ensure the mechanism of compensation. This latter is based on five significant components such as refund, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantee of non-repetition. However, she thinks that adopting this mechanism in Tunisia is impossible because human violations has a long history and that's why, said Mrs. Slama, we should work on a transformative change in this area as well as on the marginalized groups such as women or certain groups, for instance, in the south of Tunisia. Further, she emphasized that these issues of transitional justice should be addressed such ensuring the right to study and eat and these were the demands of victims. She more explained it in "translating widgets into rights". She ultimately concluded that the transitional justice has to change into a transformative approach taking into consideration the current challenges.
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The final speaker in this panel session was Mr. Omar Rawani, a Lawyer, on the topic of "The Law of Transitional Justice in Tunisia: Between the Revolutionary Character of the Text and the Limits of its Applicability". He first noted that the Tunisian law has provided a system to uncover the truth and a system for accountability and has brought a certain vision about reconciliation and compensation. The Transitional Law was established by the Body of Truth and Dignity to control violations and propose approaches. However, Mr. Rawani pointed out that this law has some weaknesses that hinder the transitional justice. In the sense that the the Body of Truth and Dignity does not have the authority of decision-making authority and its role is only to give recommendations.
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Panel 10 - Democracy and Human Rights in Religious Discourses in Tunisia
Moderating this parallel session panel was Mr. Slaheddinne El Jourchi who insisted on the importance of building democracy through democracy and civic education.
Mr. Mounir Tlili, the new Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs was a guest of honor in this session and he delivered a speech on the topic of "Democracy and Human Rights in Religious Discourse". According to him, the religious discourse today needs to tackle important issues concerning the state and society, freedom and equality, participation in decision-making and ensure the freedom of belief. He also spoke about human rights in Islam, saying that they are based on faith and commitment and ought to emerge from the power of faith. Based on this, the Minister proposed to focus on the following aspects of the renewal of religious discourse: first, it requires to submit new agreed political theses in order to replace the shortfalls and prejudices experienced by Islamic thought in decades due to the decline of civilization. Secondly, this speech should support the establishment of the modern constitutional nation-state depending on a constitution accepted by all citizens, separating the powers of the state and its institutions, and where the rulers ensure the rights and duties of each of all citizens. Third, the adoption of a democratic system based on elections. Fourth, the commitment to fundamental freedoms, and an emphasis on the principle of pluralism. Fifth comes the establishment of the value of citizenship and national unity. Sixth, encouraging the contemporary Muslim man to be active in his community. Seventh, renouncing violence and confirming the value of dialogue, and eighth, ending the chaos in Islamic discourse. At the end of his speech, Mr. Tlili insisted on fighting violence as a way to avoid sedition.
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The first paper was presented by Mr. Robert LaGamma, President of Council for a Community of Democracies, on the topic of: "International Best Practices in Democracy Education". He started by saying that democracy is complex and must be understood by the citizens because it has effects on their ballot choices. According to him, democracy must be directed by governments, youth, civil society, schools, from the local to the national levels. Thus, Democracy is something that needs to be taught. As the role of education on democracy, Mr LaGamma considers it highly sensitive element. Several conferences have been held to introduce education on democracy and many international organizations participated. The aim of these various conferences was primarily to involve students in the democratic action and awareness campaigns and to sensitize them about the importance of their participation. In the latter, he claimed that Tunisia is an example of the establishment of a culture of education on democracy.
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The second presentation was made by Mr. Sami Brahem, Human Rights
Activist, under the title of "Rooting Democratic Values in the Arab-Islamic Culture". He talked about the place of Islam in the democratic process. Mr. Brahem raised the following problematic: Can a policy issued based on a religious reference ever be civilian? According to him, Islamic democracy only means democracy that is solely committed to civil behavior and does not have any form of exaltation, like secularism is not a separation between religion and politics, but the separation of politics and the holy.
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The third and the paper of this panel discussion was introduced by Mrs. Sihem Brahimi, a Law Professor from Algeria, on "The Role of Civil Society on Promoting The Values of Citizenship and Guaranteeing Human Rights". She said that civil society is a threat to the strategies of the states and the most dangerous is that civil society organizations have funding from outside the state. Mrs. Brahimi mentioned that the role of civil society lies in the upgrade of citizenship and the promotion of human rights. She also said that the most important features that should be available in these bodies is the objectivity in their goals, as well as transparency, legitimacy, financial and executive independence, and respect for the rule of law.
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Concluding Remarks
The address of the closing ceremony was Dr. John Esposito, Professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University and Director of the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. Dr Esposito spoke about the Arab Spring revolutions that mainly called for political, economic, and social changes and not focused on religious ends. He further pointed at the reactions of the United States of America and European countries toward the changes occurring in the middle-east region. As a matter of fact, the United States of America did not use the word "coup" for Egypt. He also stressed that the future of Egypt and Tunisia are closely related to civil society and the emergence of opposition parties through civic education programs. Concerning the challenges, establishing a common ground between Islamists and Secularists is related to the doing away with the fear of 'the other'. He noted also that the western governments have to recognize that the failure of Egypt does not mean that Islam and Democracy are incompatible, rather that they need to stop supporting the government and denounce violence. As for Tunisia, what it needs today from the western governments is foreign investment and the recognizing the Tunisian model as a pioneer in the Middle-East region.
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As the Third International Conference came to an end, Dr. Radwan Masmoudi warmly thanked all the guests who came from different countries to tackle different issues related to the achievements and challenges of the Democratic Transition in Tunisia. Invited speakers and Tunisian political figures, academics and scholars from the world over, gathered and exchanged ideas and recommendations for strengthening the Tunisian democratic model in this one-of-a-kind conference that has become a fixture on the Tunisian political scene. After over thirty presentations and effective analyses from speakers from all across the world, addressing the achievements and challenges facing the Tunisian transitioning democracy and offering examples and recommendations to Tunisia, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy in Tunisia (CSID-Tunisia) concluded its Third International Conference on a very positive and promising note.
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