Washington, D.C. — Last month’s historic parliamentary elections in Tunisia and Sunday’s presidential election offer celebratory markers on Tunisia’s road to democracy. Some analysts have viewed the elections as proof that Tunisia has turned the corner, which began with the Arab Spring, into predictable, stable, and less ideological governance.
An issue brief released today by the Center for American Progress uses these elections to take stock of the political landscape, offering a cautiously optimistic view of the government ahead, but points to political and systemic concerns that make the country’s political shift very fragile. The brief points to the upcoming presidential election, the difficulties of coalition building, the potential return of authoritarian tendencies, the challenges of economic reform, and significant youth voter disengagement as points of concern. It also offers suggestions for continued U.S. engagement to tackle many of these systemic challenges.
“The recent elections in Tunisia are a great step,” said Vikram Singh, CAP Vice President for National Security and International Policy. “But elections are just a piece of democratic governance. The new government will need to implement reforms that improve security and help all Tunisians achieve economic opportunity in the face of tough coalition politics, a presidential election, and the implementation of an ambitious new constitution. These are daunting tasks and will take cooperation among political factions and steady support from the international community.”
Click here to read the issue brief.
For more information on this topic, contact Tom Caiazza at 202.481.7141 or [email protected].