Statements by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ? on the republican system
"The republican system is a precious gain that materializes Tunisians' faithfulness to ?all militants and freedom-fighters, and to all martyrs who sacrificed their lives to ?liberate the country from foreign occupation and absolute rule, and to bring back to ?the people its sovereignty. It is also a huge responsibility entrusted to the succeeding ?generations of Tunisians all over the years".?
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 1988?
"The republican system rests upon fundamental principles, particularly consulting the ?people in all that relates to its major issues and decisive choices for the present and for ?the future. It is essentially based on the rejection of personalization and ?monopolization of power, as well as on the adoption of sound rules to define the ways ?of alternation in the holding of power at the head of the state."??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 1988?
"Convinced that the proclamation of the Republic represents an important event in ?the long struggle for the liberation of our country, and with consideration for the ?immense sacrifices offered by all categories of the people in order to realise ?emancipation, we have, since 7th November, accorded a special place to the ?republican regime and reinstated republican values in all fullness. After a return to the ?sources of the Constitution, we promulgated the new constitutional law this very day ?one year ago".?
?President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 1989?
"The Republican system came to complete the signification of independence and give ?concrete expression to the people's will and sovereignty. It was that same will that ?inspired in our poet Aboul Kacem Chebbi these immortal lines:
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If one day, the people should choose life,
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Fate is certain to respond.?
?It was also this same will that placed its mark upon reformist thought as early as the ?middle of the last century, and that characterized the various currents that fed the ?national movement from the very beginning.??And if independence marked the country's emancipation from colonial domination, ?the proclamation of the Republic signified the emancipation of the people's will. ? And so, long live Tunisia! and long live the Republic !".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 1997?
"It is our belief that the linchpins of the Republican regime include the protection of ?the right to differ, the establishment of dialogue, participation and the promotion of ?civil society, so that the majority may not monopolize opinion; so that the right of the ?minority, which we have secured by law - notably in the Electoral Code - may be ?respected; and so that a deep pluralist culture - which we consider to be the very ?foundation of democracy and a shield against the dangers of setbacks ?- may be ?implanted in people's minds. For these reasons, we have supported the action of ?parties and national organizations and consolidated the necessary conditions for ?effective community action".?
?President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001?
" The establishment of the republican regime in Tunisia in 1957 was not an instant ?solution unrelated to the country's historical, social and political progression. It came ?as the culmination of a reforming process which started with the Fundamental Pact in ??1857, the Constitution of 1861, the theses of Khereddine Et-tounsi, and the struggle ?for freedom and emancipation in the broad and fullest sense of the word at the hands ?of leaders, intellectuals and combatants such as Abdelaziz Thaalbi, Tahar Sfar, ?M'hammed Ali Hammi, Tahar Haddad, Farhat Hached and Salah Ben Youssef...
They ?kindled the people's will for life celebrated by Tunisia's poet Aboul Kacem Chabbi ?and prompted men and women to fight against occupation, oppression and tyranny ?and for the country's sovereignty. Martyrs fell during the incidents of April 9, 1938 ?while calling for a Tunisian Constitution. The struggle continued unabated from the ?moment the colonial army set foot on our homeland in 1881 until the achievement of ?independence in 1956. It lasted for three-quarters of a century and was based on a rich ?background of reformist liberalism led by the living strength of the country and ?spearheaded by the Neo-Destour Party and historic leaders foremost of whom is the ?late Leader Habib Bourguiba, Founder of the Republic and first President of ?independent Tunisia".?
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001?
"The Republic liberated the will of the people just as independence liberated the ?country from colonialism. The Republic is also a set of values and constants and a ?political culture as well as a system of government which guarantees the full rights of ?citizenship for every individual and consecrates the right to difference of opinion ?under the auspices of the law and its norms and of the lofty values of civilized ?conduct.?
At the dawn of the Charge, proceeding from our firm belief in those constants and ?values, we took the measure of delivering the republican regime from certain ?deviations marring it by abrogating the Presidency for life and automatic succession ?so that the people can resume the exercise of its will on a solid foundation of pluralist ?democracy in which freedom and human rights are observed. We have promoted and ?consolidated these rights and freedoms at a steady pace and with firm determination ?to continue this progress.??
The Change breathed new life into the values and principles of the Republic through ?amendments to the Constitution and to the laws governing public life, and through ?continued consolidation of Republican institutions, mechanisms, structures and areas ?of participation".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001
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" The will of the people is above any will and the people is the source of sovereignty ?and of all powers. It is from this will that we draw inspiration in developing our ?orientations, our choices and the reforms we carry out to fulfill the trust placed in us, ?our commitment to Tunisia and our faith in the Republican values".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001?
" One of the values of the Republic is the primacy of the law which stems from the ?will of the people and therefore compels the respect of everyone. Indeed, there is no ?freedom without the authority of the law and democracy is meaningless outside the ?provisions of the Constitution and the laws governing public life".?
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001?
"Patriotism is love for, and loyalty to, Tunisia. It is national awareness, generosity ?and sacrifice. The Republic is a sacred historic gain of the Tunisian people. Everyone ?is dutybound to safeguard and consolidate its foundations, to contribute generously to ?its development and to make sacrifices to ensure that the will of the people shall ?remain above the will of everyone, that Tunisia shall continue to be for all Tunisians, ?and that we all will work for its prestige and everlasting glory".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2001?
" We are establishing the Republic of tomorrow, and laying the foundations of an ?increasingly progressive political system to be carried on by the generations that will ?take up the duty after us. The Republic of tomorrow embodies our faithfulness to the ?martyrs of 9 April 1938, to the principles underlying the reform and liberation ?movement, to the spirit enshrined by the founders in the country's 1959 Constitution, ?chiefly the late leader Habib Bourguiba, the first President of the Republic, and also ?faithfulness to the new hope breathed in by the Change in the republic, thus ?reinstating its institutions in the position they deserve.
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The Republic of tomorrow reinforces the system of referential values underlying the ?republican system, chiefly human rights and solidarity; it also reinforces its ?representative institutions by enhancing the organizational structure of the legislative ?branch of government by introducing a second chamber, the Chamber of Councilors.?
The Republic of tomorrow consecrates pluralism by providing for a two-round ?presidential election system and reinforces the neutrality of the Constitutional Council ?and the independence of its members, while expanding its mandate to cover the ?monitoring of elections and referendums.? The Republic of tomorrow is a new stage in a continuing reform drive, paving the ?way for a better future without severing ties with the past".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
May 12, 2002?
" The proclamation of the Republic was a crucial juncture in the life of our people; it ?was an opportunity to recover self-determination and sovereignty and to meet the ?requirements of democracy and modernity".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2002?
"Rehabilitating the Republican system, consolidating its foundations, abiding by the ?sovereignty of the people, and refraining from confiscating its will, these were some ?of the most important underpinnings of our political reform, both as a text and as a ?practice. We have notably eliminated everything inconsistent with the principles of ?the Republic such as life-long presidency and automatic succession. We have also ?taken a number of initiatives and steps to lay the foundations of the rule of law and ?institutions, to firmly establish democracy and pluralism, and to secure human rights ?in their various dimensions".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2002?
" The Republic of tomorrow stems from our firm belief in the need to develop the ?Republican system, and to modernize, enhance, and buttress its institutions. That is ?why we wanted the Republic of tomorrow to be an illustration of the level of political ?maturity reached by our country; meeting the ambitions of generations of Tunisian ?men and women, opening broad prospects for their involvement in developing their ?country and running its affairs, taking it to the highest levels of advancement and ?distinction. This is clearly evidenced by the various topics provided for in the reform - ?securing human rights and effecting their guarantees; promoting the relationship ?between the Executive and Legislative branches of government; reinforcing the role ?of the Constitutional Council and the neutrality of its members; adjusting the ?presidential election system; setting up the Chamber of Advisors to provide for ?broader popular representation.??
One of the challenges of the Republic of tomorrow is to give full expression to ?potentialities that have been lying dormant in our people, to mobilize energies, and to ?deepen the nation's feeling for rights and duties, and to sharpen its awareness of ?everybody's duty towards everyone else.? The Republic of tomorrow enhances the present and paves the way for the future, ?based on options which fact has proven right and effective. These are the consecration ?of a deeply-rooted reform movement that was able to establish a link between the ?glories of the past and the gains of the present, to grow and to renew itself with the ?various stages of our country's history".?
?President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2002?
" The Proclamation of the Republic came to consecrate the people's will and to crown ?the ideals and aspirations which had been cherished by Tunisian men and women ?since the mid-19th century and all along the period of colonization, and which were ?materialized through a Tunisian constitution that, for the first time, laid the ?foundations for the republican system, and whose provisions were based on a ?reformist vision deeply rooted in the country's history and authentic national ?foundations".?
?President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2004?
" Since the Change, we have been keen on preserving the republican system and ?consolidating its institutions, in order to consecrate the people's sovereignty and ?supreme will.? It is within this context that came the successive political reforms we have undertaken ?during the past years, in order to preserve the values of the republic, particularly ?through the establishment of the rule of law and of a solid ground for democracy, ?pluralism and the protection of human rights, as well as through the enlargement of ?the prospects for initiative and participation in public life for all active forces in the ?country".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2004?
" We are determined to pursue the consolidation of the republican values, with all the ?significances they carry in terms of citizenship, sound civilizational and political ?behavior, patriotism, devotion to the service of the country and commitment to elevate ?its status and to sacrifice for its sake.? We are also keen to make sure the republican system guarantees for all Tunisian men ?and women the exercise of political action within the context of the law, mutual ?respect, sincere mutual relations, and the primacy of the country's supreme interest ?above all considerations".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2004?
" The values and principles of the Republic are indeed the supreme ideals, which ?have guided our reformist choices since the Change. Based on such values and ?principles, we have moved ahead, one stage after the other, with our civilizational ?project, and consolidated and enriched the institutions of the Republic, in order to ?consecrate the rule of law and the values of democracy, pluralism and respect of ?? human rights, as well as to meet the people's aspirations, reinforce its freedom, and ?consolidate Independence in all its dimensions and symbols".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2005?
"The founding of the Republic constituted a remarkable illustration of Tunisia's ?independence whose 50th anniversary we celebrated last March 20th. It also came to ?crown the struggle conducted by successive generations for the sake of freedom, ?dignity, sovereignty, and the supremacy of the people's will over any other will. The ?Republic is indeed a great national gain and the fruit of generous sacrifices made by ?our people with all its categories, elites and forces".??
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2006?
"The Republic is the concrete illustration of the people's sovereignty and the ?supremacy of its will above all other wills. It is a great edifice, and the fruit of huge ?sacrifices made by our people during its struggle for freedom and emancipation. We ?are moving ahead on the path of accomplishment and construction, committed to ?preserving this precious gain and consolidating its foundations, proud of the ?attachment of Tunisians, men and women, to our choices, and confident in their ?determination to pursue effort and action, so that all our endeavors will be joined to ?enhance the process of progress and well-being in our country, as a token of ?faithfulness to our homeland, commitment to the values of the Republic, and ?determination to promote Tunisia and its people to the highest level of glory and ?invulnerability".?
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
July 25, 2006?
