Not everyone was convinced that Tunisia’s first post-revolutionary legislative elections on October 26, which transferred the majority of seats from the Islamist party—Ennahda—to the liberal secularist party Nida Tunis, would be a success. Fears of low voter turnourt and threats of terrorism loomed over the historic day, which passed peacefully and saw a voter turnout of about 60 per cent.
Correspondents met with Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on election day to talk about Tunisia’s transitional success story.
Not everyone was convinced that Tunisia’s first post-revolutionary legislative elections on October 26, which transferred the majority of seats from the Islamist party—Ennahda—to the liberal secularist party Nida Tunis, would be a success. Fears of low voter turnourt and threats of terrorism loomed over the historic day, which passed peacefully and saw a voter turnout of about 60 per cent.
Correspondents met with Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on election day to talk about Tunisia’s transitional success story.
Prime Minister Jomaa, to what do you credit the large turnout of Tunisians to the polls?
Tunisians have grown politically in the last three years, regardless of the unfulfilled dreams since the (2011) revolution. Tunisian citizens are realistic and know that the experience of democratic transition requires perseverance and sacrifices. This sends an important message to those who want to undermine the state, which was built on the rules of democracy.
Is this election is able to return Tunisia to the revolution’s goals and build a democratic state?
All Tunisians hope that the success of the elections will help achieve the goals of the revolution. In the first stage we removed the former regime; now we are in the stage of working to overcome the problems faced by Tunisia. In remaining third phase, we look forward to a successful phase of re-construction.
Will the success being experienced by Tunisia spread to other countries in the region, where transitions have stalled?
All revolutions require time to succeed and we hope that our experience in Tunisia will be a sign of hope for all our sister countries facing problems. We hope they will follow our way out of the difficulties, which is through reconciliation and dialogue.
We know that each country has its own peculiarities and experiences, so we do not interfere in the internal affairs of others, but we hope that our success is a sign of hope for them.
Do you believe the success of the Tunisian experience is linked to what some see as the success of the Islamic Renaissance Movement, and the rise of Islamic movements (Muslim Brotherhood)?
I will not go into this debate about partisan considerations. I will talk about Tunisia, which I believe, has identified the features of each process and political system based on the charters of the first Constitution, which defined the features of the civil state and sets out a charter for the future of Tunisia.
Do you believe it is better for Tunisia to have a coalition government, as it did with the troika, or is a one-party rule better?
In my opinion, the one-party rule is not possible because the challenges facing the country require wider participation. It is better to have a coalition open to the opposition because Tunisians reunite for goals agreed upon by the largest segments of society.
The government announced earlier that the transitional path was being targeted by terrorist groups. Was this based on information you received or was it the sentiment on the streets?
The two are connected but most of it as was based on data we had about pre-emptive operations intent on undermining the state and its institutions.
Were there special security and military strategies set up for election day?
We developed a security plan months ago with the military and security apparatuses taking into account that terrorist groups might target the elections.
What about the closure of the Tunisian-Libyan border, in the days before and after the elections?
We put a lot of planning into providing a secure environment for the elections and based on the data available to us, we decided to close the border on a temporary basis during the electoral period, except in humanitarian cases or for Libyans wishing to return to their homeland.
How do you rate Tunisia three years after the revolution?
In the period after the revolution we achieved our first-born Constitution. Today we turn the page in the course of the transitional period, from temporary stability towards achieving lasting stability.
Your government has developed a plan for reform, are there guarantees to keep this plan, especially since previous experience shows the opposite?
We are satisfied with the application of the plan, because we presented our systems before a national dialogue in which we engaged all parties and civil society organizations. The plan was not built on ideology, but on an assessment of the interests of the country and the major challenges it faces.
If the opportunity were offered to you, would you accept heading the next government?
No, I have said many times that I am not a presidential candidate. I will not fall into the trap of not being able to compensate anyone. I will not establish a party nor will I join any political party.
Your government came under a harsh light in terms of deteriorating foreign relations.
Among the challenges we faced in the period before we took government, wre in foreign relations, in addition to the challenges of economy and security and regional challenges, all of which have been dealt with. We believe that today we have good relations with our neighboring geographical surroundings—can say that we have no enemies, but friends.
How would you describe Tunisia’s financial situation today?
Tunisia passed through a difficult political period marked by economic, security and social changes, which had an impact on the Tunisian economy; in addition to a Europe suffering from an economic crisis since 2009, the situation in neighboring Libya and in the region as a whole has had a negative impact on the Tunisian economy.
