tunisia
KEY ISSUES
During the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, Tunisia's autocratic leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power as the result of street protests. The Islamist political party Ennahda subsequently rose to power in what has been deemed "one of the Muslim world's most secular nations." (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/82690.aspx)
Violence continued after the uprisings. The government attributed most of the violence to Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist group with links to Al-Qaida. Ansar al-Sharia was responsible for the assassination of two politicians, igniting another series of protests in July 2013 calling for Ennahda to relinquish power. (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/07/world/politics-diplomacy-world/tunisia-lifts-emergency-rule-in-force-since-2011-uprising/#.W3LVmegzbIU) In September 2013, the Islamist government agreed to step down, and new elections were announced following a series of negotiations between the Islamist and secular opposition party. (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/82690.aspx) Islamist militants continued to battle government forces in western Tunisia and the Chaambi mountains into 2014.
On March 5, 2014, Tunisia's president Moncef Marzouki lifted the state of emergency that had been in force since 2011 uprising. The formation of a consensus government and the establishment of a new constitution helped to create greater political stability. (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/07/world/politics-diplomacy-world/tunisia-lifts-emergency-rule-in-force-since-2011-uprising/#.W3LVmegzbIU)
Of all the Middle East nations affected by Arab Spring, Tunisia was the one example of a successful peaceful transition from autocratic to democratic rule in what had been a turbulent and controversial period in the Middle East region. Due to the misgivings of nations that had been ruled under largely secular albeit autocratic governments and the controversial rise of Islamist movements in these countries, the attempted transitions have largely been contention-filled and unsuccessful. Tunisia was the one exception where Islamists and secularists were able to come together peacefully and form a power-sharing democratic government.
RELEVANT HISTORY
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REFERENCES
"Tunisia's ruling Islamists accept plan to step down," Reuters, September 28, 2013. (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/82690.aspx)
"Tunisia lifts emergency rule in force since 2011 uprising," Japan Times, March 7, 2014. (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/07/world/politics-diplomacy-world/tunisia-lifts-emergency-rule-in-force-since-2011-uprising/#.W3LVmegzbIU)