Tunisia
Tunisia

Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is an Arab country in North Africa bordered to the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea, southeast by Libya (459 km) and west by Algeria (965 km). Its capital is Tunis. The Republic of Tunisia has an area of 163,610 km 2. According to the latest statistics in 2014, the population of the Republic of Tunisia is approximately 10,982,8 thousand.

Tunisia has played important roles in ancient history since the time of the Phoenicians, Amazigh, Carthaginians, Vandals, and Romans. The Muslims opened it in the seventh century and founded the city of Kairouan in 50 AH to be the second Islamic city in North Africa after Fustat. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was called the Tunisian Ayala. Signed under French occupation in 1881, it gained its independence in 1956 to formally become the Kingdom of Tunisia at the end of the reign of Mohamed Lamine Bey. With the proclamation of the Republic of Tunisia on July 25, 1957, Habib Bourguiba became its first president.

The latter was followed by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's coup in 1987, and his rule continued until 2011 when he fled during the Tunisian revolution. Tunisia relied on export-oriented industries to liberalize and privatize the economy, which has averaged 5% GDP growth since early 1990. Tunisia has suffered corruption under the former president.
Tunisia has close and historic relations with both the United States and the European Union. It is a major non-NATO ally and has several advanced partnership agreements with the EU, which is Tunisia's first customer and a strong economic ally. Tunisia is also a member of the League of Arab States and the African Union. Tunisia has established close relations with France in particular, through economic cooperation, industrial modernization, and privatization programs. It has made the government's approach to the conflict between Israel and Palestine a mediator in Middle East diplomacy and a major contributor to world peace through its UN troops in conflict zones.
The Tunisian revolution was an intense campaign of civic resistance that resulted from high unemployment, inflation, corruption, lack of freedom of expression and other political freedoms, and poor living conditions. Trade unions were said to have been an integral part of the protests. The protests marked the beginning of the Arab Spring, a series of similar moves throughout the Arab world
The death of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor, set fire to his body on December 17, 2010 in protest at the confiscation of his goods and the humiliation of a municipal official. The onset of events in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid increased anger and turned into violent protests after the death of Bouazizi on January 4, 2011, which eventually led to the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011, after 23 years in power.
Protests continued to demand the dissolution of the ruling party and the exclusion of all its members from the transitional government formed by Mohamed Ghannouchi. Eventually the new government responded to the demands of the demonstrators. The Tunisian judiciary announced the dissolution of the RCD and the confiscation of all its property. The interior minister also decided to dissolve the "political police" and the State Security Court, which was used to intimidate and persecute political activists.
On 3 March 2011, the President announced that elections to the National Constituent Assembly would be held on 23 October 2011. International and local observers announced that the elections were held in free and fair conditions. Ennahda, formerly banned under the Ben Ali regime, won about 90 seats out of a total of 217. On December 12, 2011, former veteran and human rights activist Moncef Marzouki was elected president.
In March 2012, Ennahdha announced that it would not support making Sharia the main source of legislation in the new constitution. Ennahdha's stance on the issue was criticized by hardline Islamists, who want full sharia law, and were welcomed by secular parties. On February 6, 2013, Shukri Belaid, leader of the leftist opposition and a prominent critic of the Popular Front, was assassinated. On July 25, 2013, one of Tunisia's national opposition leaders, Mohamed Brahmi, was assassinated, marking the Republic Day.
This was followed by a severe political crisis that eventually led to the launching of a national dialogue under the auspices of the Quartet sponsor of the dialogue. In Tunisia, after the ratification of the new constitution, the Nidaa Tounes Party won first place, followed by the Ennahda Party and the Free Patriotic Union. These elections were followed by presidential elections.
Two rounds took place between Beji Caid Essebsi, head of the transitional government after the revolution, a former minister under Habib Bourguiba on the one hand, and Mohamed Moncef Marzouki Human Rights and the interim president who took over the country after the election of the National Constituent Assembly. The presidential election ended with Beja Caid Essebsi winning the majority of votes for the first time in the history of the country. The Republic of Tunisia has been handed power in a democratic and peaceful manner smoothly. The transition was over.
Arab sister state
ردحذف