The constitutional amendment of July 25, 1988 :

In the November 7, 1987 Declaration, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali affirmed that : «Our people has reached a degree of responsibility and maturity where every individual and group is in a position to constructively contribute to the running of its affairs, in conformity with the republican idea which gives institutions their full scope and guarantees the conditions for a responsible democracy, fully respecting the sovereignty of the people as written into the Constitution. This Constitution needs urgent revision. The times in which we live can no longer admit of life presidency or automatic succession, from which the people is excluded ».

The constitutional amendment of July 25, 1988 thus came to re-establish the authenticity of the republican system, through abolishing lifetime presidency and automatic succession to the presidency of the republic.

From the first year of the Change, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has endeavored to build a modern democracy and to establish a new pluralism in the country. To this end, he signed, on May 3, 1988, a new law organizing political parties and defining for the various political parties the new common denominators.

President Ben Ali was also keen on establishing a « National Pact », which was signed, on November 7, 1988, by all political and social forces and the various intellectual tendencies. The Pact spells out the principles and values uniting Tunisians, and lays the ground for a fair political competition.

Other constitutional and legal reforms have been adopted to promote fundamental freedoms. Of these reforms, particular mention can be made of the constitutional law of October 27, 1997, which defines the role of political parties in public life and expands the scope of recourse to referendum for decisive questions concerning the future of the country.

On the other hand, the electoral system was developed in order to adapt it to the evolution of political life in Tunisia. The amendments introduced in July 2003 into the Electoral Code offered voters new legal guarantees. They also established the system of permanent revision of electoral rolls, and reinforced the transparency of the electoral process at all its stages.

Several mechanisms have been established to promote human rights. Particular mention can be made, in this regard, of the Higher Committee for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, set up in 1991, which includes an elite of experts in this field, and prepares an annual report which it submits to the President of the Republic. Other mechanisms include the «Human Rights Units » established within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, and the Ministry of Interior and Local Development. Established in 1992, these units serve as additional mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights.

In 1993, President Ben Ali introduced important amendments into the Code of Personal Status (issued on August 13, 1956), toward reinforcing gender equality and establishing relations of partnership between men and women. In addition to the field of education and the various fields of activity where they have made considerable strides, Tunisian women have, thanks to President Ben Ali’s initiatives, consolidated their presence in public and political life.