Democratic Transition in Tunisia (Research Paper Sample)

DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION IN TUNISIA
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Democratic Transition in Tunisia
Introduction
2011 was a year characterized by political turmoil and uprisings that destabilized most of the countries in the MENA region. Tunisia remains one of the countries that experienced a revolution and replaced the despotism of long-serving President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Post-revolution in Tunisia has not been smooth, and the country has not attained full democratic status. Several challenges have impaired the full democratization process; for instance, political transition is still fragile, and the government has failed to constitutionalize diverse recommendations that would liberate the judiciary and minimize police violence. Political fragmentation and lack of serious security reforms have impeded transparency and thwarted the efforts of sanctioning officials who practice felonies and misdemeanors. Besides, the socio-economic status of the country is still below the citizens’ expectations. The prevalence of economic grievances has negatively impacted public opinion concerning democratization. According to…, democratization is popular because it intends to boost human confidence that they are able to attain their goals. Since democracy encourages all interested parties to be part of the solution, everyone should have political and democratic rights. However, the emergence of democracies in countries with a poor history of democracy can create uncertainty. Some of the common uncertainties are suspicion and fear, which has led to civil violence and wars.
The theory of realism best explains the situation in Tunisia. Modern realist theorists suggest that there is no global central authority to monitor the states' operations; therefore, states act for the interests of their power. The international system anarchy is nonessential because states are ever using resources at their disposal to acquire power and serve the local communities' interests. Realism does not entail local operations, countries such as the United States use modern realism in international relations, and the benefits are transferred to its local market. During the Arab Spring, most Tunisians fought against their leaders because of national gains. The use of military forces, which was different from other countries, indicated that the realistic theory-guided Tunisia. The critical question that this essay seeks to answer is whether the democracy that Tunisian's sought has been attained and whether the people realize the fruits of democracy. Based on the theory of realism, the essay seeks to explore the deterministic factors of democracy in the Tunisian case. Even though the is making progress towards democratization, diverse challenges still hinder the attainment of democracy.
The Progress Attained
The end of Ben Ali's dictatorship was marked by a nationwide celebration in Tunisia, with the citizens prepared to enjoy the benefits of democracy. After a long period of protest marred by deaths and minimal freedom, the democratization process was expected to replace dictatorship. However, in 2019, minimal achievements had been attained, and international media reported cases of social protest, power struggles, and general strikes (Gallien & Werenfels 2019). After the Arab Spring, Tunisia is one of the countries that still enjoy democratic operations and institutions; however, there is fear that the country might have a hybrid political system that supports both democratic operations and those that sympathize with authoritarianism Ben Ali used. Such risks would thwart the efforts towards democratization and reestablish despotism that has been the country's government's tradition. Despite such foreseeable challenges, there are certain achievements that Tunisia has made towards the attainment of full democracy.
The adoption of the Tunisian constitution in 2014 was the greatest step towards democracy. Realists believe that the interests of the nation are prioritized more than those of other countries in an international context. An essential tool for national power is the constitution because of its supremacy on legal matters. Therefore, adopting a constitution that stimulates people's relations and guarantees power to the masses is an essential step towards democratization. The constitution focused on distributing power to the people rather than centralizing them to top leadership and military groups. Some of the outstanding recommendations that the 2014 constitution stipulated included the limitation of military roles, the independence of the judiciary, gender equality, and decentralized political responsibility (Yerkes & Yahmed 2019). The constitution was more of a parliamentary system constitution that established the position of two leaders: the president and the prime minister. The president was elected by the people through secret ballot election, while the prime minister was to be elected by the parliament. The existence of the two top leaders was to decentralize power from one individual and ensure that all parties' interests were incorporated in the political matter. There was a common belief that concentrating power on one leader would lead to authoritarianism. The constitution also helped in post-revolutionary development; the stability of the country realized after the revolution is attributed to the constitution.
The interests of the people, according to realism, is the survival of their country after the revolution; therefore, the first democratic election after the revolution was held in 2018. The credibility of the election was enhanced through its management and observation. The constitution had established an independent electoral commission that facilitated efficient and democratic elections, where different parties participated. Further still, international observers made a report that approved the electoral process to be transparent and democratic. Both Islamic and secular parties participated, and they showed that they could adhere to democratic election rules. Precisely, the effectiveness of a democratic process is based on institutions' independence such as the electoral body. The foundation had been built for the advancement of democracy in Tunisia. The involvement of the international observers is a manifestation of liberal institutionalism. Even though Tunisia practices statism, it requires engagement and support from international organizations. Liberal institutionalism theory advocates for interdependency between international institutions and the state (Tayyar 2018). Therefore, the impact of other states and international institutions have influenced democratization in Tunisia.
Furthermore, the development of an active civil society is a positive indication of Tunisia's democratic transition. After the end of the dictatorial regime, watchdog organizations emerged to ensure that government institutions and private investors comply with the law in their operations. The civil societies are mainly concerned with the observation of the promulgated constitution and ensuring that Tunisia is a law-abiding state. Some civil societies that have been vocal on both political and economic matters in Tunisia are Nawaat and AlBawsala, which have been very vocal in condemning traces of despotism among the new leaders (Keck 2020). The constitution recognizes gender balance and indiscriminative society. However, cases of discrimination against LGBTI have been rampant in the country; consequently, the emergence of civil society has led to the condemnation of the discrimination and criminalization of individuals who practice same-sex relationships (Picard 2015). Through a manifestation of democracy, civil society has requested the country and religious people to stop decriminalization of the LGBTI community. The country also passed the Truth and Dignity Commission through the support of civil society. The commission's main intention is to protect whistleblowers who unearth corruption in the government and corporations.
Challenges Facing Democratic Transition in Tunisia
Even though a democratic government has been elected in Tunisia, the country has not realized a full democratic transition. Keck (2020) describes the situation in Tunisia as an illusion of democracy. He claims that the general belief that uprising would lead to democracy is misplaced and that liberal democracy is less likely to come from any uprising. Many uprisings have never led to peaceful democratic transitions; in most cases, such an uprising faces regular conflicts and political instability that consequently leads to the reemergence of a totalitarian regime. The authoritative regime is always accepted as the best solution to unrelenting and fierce groups of fighters. The situation in Tunisia is challenging because, for almost ten years, a complete democratic transition has not occurred.
The continuous struggles in Tunisia that have paralyzed and impeded the speedy transition to democracy are well elaborated using the realism theory of international relations. The theory focuses on self-help and survival through statism. After the exit of authoritarianism, democratic space offered dissenting voices an opportunity to be heard. Since there are many who intends to take up the country's leadership, the small groups struggle to get and maintain power and influence in the country. Such a struggle for survival has increased fear that authoritarianism might return in Tunisia.
The judicial system has undergone the changes recommended in the constitution. Since the adoption of the constitution in 2014, the constitutional court has not been established (International Commission of Jurists 2019). The parliament has been reluctan...