TUNISIA-ELECTION CAMPAIGN Tunisians eye unity, stability as country gears for first free presidential election

Record ID: 347228

  • Title: TUNISIA-ELECTION CAMPAIGN Tunisians eye unity, stability as country gears for first free presidential election
  • Date: 6th November 2014
  • Summary: MARZOUKI SUPPORTERS WAVING WHITE FLAGS, READING (Arabic): "WE WILL WIN!" TUNIS, TUNISIA (NOVEMBER 5, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TUNISIAN CITIZEN, AHMED AL-MAHFOUDI, SAYING: "The person I will vote for in the upcoming presidential elections is the one with the longest history of political strife in this country. Someone that struggled against Ben Ali (former Tunis
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Tunisia
  • Country: Tunisia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3GTJZ8N10OHA7IIK5G2B5G7LT
  • Story Text: As Tunisia gears up for its first free presidential elections, ordinary Tunisians seem set on the qualities they are seeking in their next leader.
    Nearly four years after the overthrow of the autocratic Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia is being praised as a model of transition, with political rivals overcoming differences over the role of Islam and the return of old regime officials to make democracy work.
    Tunisians in the capital on Wednesday (November 5) said they wanted a leader who could unite people and achieve the goals of the uprising.
    "The next president should possess all the key qualities because Tunisia is not like other countries, it's a responsibility. The next president needs to be like the beaming light shining down on everyone so he can see things clearly, not like the ones before him who relied on others to supervise things - he needs to do the supervision himself. The next president should keep an eye on the tiniest of things as well as the biggest of matters, take care of the rich and poor alike," said Nizar.
    Four Tunisian soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded on Wednesday (November 5) in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defence Ministry said.
    The attack came 10 days after parliamentary elections, which were won by secular party Nida Tounes.
    Tunisia has struggled to subdue hardline Islamists and jihadis opposed to the transition to democracy following the revolt against Ben Ali. The military cracked down on militants in the run-up to the polls.
    Twenty-seven candidates, including one woman, are running in the upcoming vote, due to take place on November 23.
    Among them is current President Moncef Marzouki who is seeking re-election.
    Marzouki, a secularist, was originally voted in by members of the constitutional assembly, Tunisia's interim parliament, in 2011.
    At a campaign rally in Tunis on Sunday (November 2), Marzouki assured his supporters he would work towards a "new Tunisia" if re-elected.
    "I am going to be a fortress against tyranny and oppression. I am going to be open to all political parties who support this project, which is building a new Tunisia on the ruins of the old one. If the presidential palace was open before, now it is going to be even more open," he said.
    The Islamist Ennahda party won the first post-Ben Ali parliamentary election to form a coalition government. But a crisis over the murder of two opposition leaders and the handling of Islamist extremists eventually forced it to step aside for a caretaker government.
    Compromise has since become a byword for Tunisian politics after deal-making pulled the country out of that political confrontation, and allowed Tunisia to approve a new constitution praised as a model of inclusiveness.
    Tunisians say they now need a leader to take the country forwards.
    "The person I will vote for in the upcoming presidential elections is the one with the longest history of political strife in this country. Someone that struggled against Ben Ali (former Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali), struggled against Troika and is still continuing to fight and willing to continue fighting. Someone that we can sense identifies with the people's problems," Ahmed al-Mahfoudi said.
    While few presidential hopefuls have started their campaigning, Nidaa Tounes leader Beji Caid Essebsi is a leading candidate. For him, getting too close to Ennahda risks alienating voters who crossed the line to vote for Nidaa Tounes as a way to punish the Islamists for their messy two years in power.
    Many Tunisians say they don't want to see a polarising figure at the helm.
    "For me, the president has to be someone that can unite everyone. He must have a political history, people should be familiar with him and on that basis they get to choose him, not because he gives them fabricated promises, but because he makes promises that are achievable. He doesn't have to have a personality that everyone agrees on because it's impossible to please everyone, but he must be a figure that unites people. An uncorrupted person, as I mentioned, someone that has a record of political strife and political experience, and someone that can work with all political parties in the same way to achieve security, stability and all the goals Tunisians revolted for," Rahma Camon said.
    Ennahda said last month it would not contest the presidential elections, in the interests of ensuring an inclusive government for all Tunisians.
    The party won the first free election after the overthrow of Ben Ali in 2011, but was accused by the opposition of seeking to entrench itself in power, disregarding the interests of a large secular urban population and being lenient towards radical Islamists.
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