Speech by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic

 July 25, 2007

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Fellow citizens,

Our people celebrates today a glorious historic date, the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic, an occasion to recall the struggle conducted by our people and the sacrifices made by its successive generations for the sake of glory and dignity. The proclamation of the Republic on July 25, 1957 represented a liberation of the people's will and a completion of the attributes of its sovereignty and freedom obtained through the declaration of Independence on March 20, 1956 .

While congratulating on this occasion those who will receive, in a moment, the « Order of the Republic », I would like to commend all efforts that have contributed to consolidating the foundations of the republican system, disseminating its values, reinforcing its achievements, and enriching its gains.

The establishment of the republican system in our country has materialized the notions of citizenship for all Tunisians, men and women, making of the people the decisive reference in the management of the country's affairs, particularly the free and direct election of their Leader and their representatives in the legislative and in municipal councils.

It is a happy coincidence that we celebrate this year the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic as well as the 20th anniversary of the Change. This coincidence carries high symbolic value and great significance, in that it establishes a close connection between the glories of our past, the accomplishments of our present, and the prospects of our future.

Fellow citizens,

We are proud that Tunisia was among the first countries which had known, since olden times, advanced forms of government based on participation and institutions. In his book Politics, Aristotle paid tribute to the Constitution of Carthage and to its state structure, its systems and forms of establishment. It is also worth recalling that fascination by the republican system was present in the minds and writings of the pioneers of the Tunisian reform movement since the 19th century. In his book Al-It'haf, Ahmad Ibn Abi Al-Dhiaf addressed the republican system, described it meticulously, and highlighted its advantages.

The reformist thinking was one of the premises underlying our country's opting for the republican system. This in addition to the modes of resistance and the sound organization characterizing the period of struggle for liberation, as well as the leaders our people has begotten, who triggered its pride, unified its ranks, and trained it for collective action and for organizing its national life in accordance with its capacities and choice. This paved the way for the proclamation of the Republic in a peaceful, civilized and constitutional way; thus meeting the people's will under the young Independent state.

The foundations of the Republic have constantly been consolidated in all aspects of the life of the modern national state, in accordance with reference values that strike a balance between the requirements of development and modernization and the constant tenets of national identity.

Fellow citizens,

This is indeed an occasion for us to express our faithfulness to the memory of martyrs, our deep respect for those patriotic pioneers who sowed in our people the seeds of patriotic awareness and organized its ranks so that it conducted the battles for liberation and freedom, as well as our consideration to the generation of those who laid the foundations of the Republic and built its institutions, in the forefront of whom Leader Habib Bourguiba, the first president of the Republic of Tunisia.

Our country's constitution has established the Republic as a firm, unquestionable and irrevocable ground for the system of government, as well as a precious gain the preservation of which being a responsibility that falls upon the generation of pioneers as well as upon the successive generations of our country, as it is the symbol of the people's sovereignty and the values of freedom, equality and justice. Under this constitution, our people governed itself by itself for the first time since long ago, and has succeeded in establishing the foundations of modernity in its inter-related political, economic and social dimensions.

Establishing the republican system and accomplishing the modernist cultural project have made of Tunisia a modern country that is entitled to pursue its progression, with determination, along the path of progress and construction. However, the republican system was deviated from, through the proclamation of life presidency and automatic succession in which the people have no say. Our country, therefore, went through a period of instability that exposed the gains and achievements of the Republic to the threats of regression and decline.

The deteriorated conditions that reigned before the Change of 1987 required prompt and decisive action. Driven by a deep sense of sacred national duty, and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, we chose to fully assume the historic responsibility to save the country, before it was too late, from the state of weakness to which it had fallen, to rehabilitate the Republic, and to revive its values. We announced, at the dawn of the Change, that « Our people has reached a degree of responsibility and maturity where all its sons and daughters are in a position to constructively contribute to the running of its affairs, in conformity with the republican system which gives institutions their full scope and guarantees the conditions for a responsible democracy, fully respecting the sovereignty of the people».

Fellow citizens,

The November 7th Change is a civilizational project. We draw its roots and principles from the movement of reform, from the process of national movement, and from the aspirations of Tunisia 's youth and our people's active forces.

We wanted it to be an act of continuity, development, modernization and prosperity. We have rejected the idea of proclaiming a Second Republic just to imitate the others. We have honored the commitments we announced in the Declaration of November 7, 1987 , through the reforms we have adopted, particularly as regards the rehabilitation of the republican system and its values, and the abolition of life presidency and automatic succession to the presidency of the republic.

Successive constitutional reforms and numerous initiatives have been taken to consolidate the republican system and the people's sovereignty. These include expanding the scope of legislative referendum, and establishing the principle of constitutional referendum for the first time in the amendment introduced into the Constitution in 1997, making the people the reference in all national issues and crucial questions that concern the country's supreme interest.

To consolidate the people's sovereignty and guarantee a wider representation of the regions and of the various components of society, we undertook, in 2002, the establishment of the Chamber of Advisors, in order to make sure professional organizations, regions, and national prominent figures are represented. The establishment of this Chamber has reinforced and promoted the legislative function, and has, therefore, conferred a fresh dynamism on political life.

The consecration of the Constitution's supremacy being a basic foundation of the republican system, we undertook, in the early weeks of the Change, the establishment of the Constitutional Council. We have then promoted this body, reinforced its status by including it within the text of the Constitution, and made its opinions binding on all public authorities. One of its prerogatives is now to control presidential and legislative elections as well as the referendum operation. Today, the Constitutional Council represents a basic foundation of the rule of law, and a guarantee for the constitutionality of laws and the transparency of elections and referendums.

As we believe that constitutions are established to serve the present and future of nations, we introduced in 2002 a fundamental constitutional amendment that included the principles carried by the societal project of the Change. These principles underlie our political choices and the reforms and legislations we have established since the Change; the aim being to guarantee human rights and individual dignity, to reinforce the rule of law and pluralism, and to anchor solidarity and mutual support among individuals, social categories and generations.

The new Constitution provides, inter alia, for the preservation of fundamental freedoms and human rights in their universality, comprehensiveness, correlation and interdependence. Indeed, civil and political rights remain incomplete if they are not associated with the preservation of economic, social, and cultural rights, and with other rights from subsequent generations.

We have concretely anchored the rule of law. Nobody, whatever his position, is above the law. This is indeed the deep significance of the principle of rule of law underlying our republican system.

Given the importance of this reform which laid the foundations for the Republic of Tomorrow , we submitted it to popular referendum after it had been approved by the Chamber of Deputies, so that this reform would reflect the people's will and ambitions.

To further protect the rights of individuals, and to assert the right to ownership guaranteed by the Constitution, we give instructions today for the preparation of a bill to develop the methods of appeal concerning judgments issued by the real-estate court, through establishing the right of appeal or cassation depending on the case, which will allow litigants to submit their real-estate cases to another judicial body without affecting the pace of settlement and regularization of real-estate situations.

Establishing the republic upon the principle of pluralism is a fundamental choice of the Change. This implies the plurality of political parties, mass organizations, associations and civil society components. It also implies intellectual pluralism and difference in terms of opinion and interpretation. Incorporating the principle of pluralism within the Constitution is a prerequisite for the consolidation of democracy. Thus, there is no room for the single party, nor for the single opinion.

The republican system is associated with the election of the President of the Republic. Election implies the right to choose. Choice acquires its true meaning only through the plurality of candidates to the presidency of the Republic. While in the early years of the Republic, election took the form of a unanimous support to a single candidate, we have endeavored, on our part, to materialize the right of the people to choose the President of the Republic within a context of pluralism, proceeding from our strong belief in the maturity of our people and its right to choose the candidate who is most qualified to run the affairs of the country. We have, therefore, relaxed the conditions for candidacy to the presidency of the Republic, which made it possible to hold, for the first time in Tunisia 's history, pluralist presidential elections in 1999 and 2004.

Fellow citizens,

The achievements and gains accomplished during 50 years since the establishment of the republican system have deeply changed all facets of life all over the country, in the cities as well as in villages and rural areas. The average per capita income has increased to 4,000 dinars. The poverty rate has been brought down to 3.8%, which has helped expand the middle class to encompass 80% of the Tunisian society. Life expectancy at birth has been brought up to 74 years.

As our country currently ranks among the first countries in the world as regards the family house ownership indicator, and given the importance of housing in reinforcing the attributes of decent life and family well-being, we give instructions to confer further flexibility on housing loans and to alleviate the pressure on the family income, by extending the period for paying back the loans granted to 25 years, according to the capacity of the concerned banks in terms of long-term resource mobilization. We also give instructions to increase to 25 years the period for paying back loans granted as part of the home-buyers' savings scheme, which will further promote this category of saving.

Our country has won the stake of ensuring universal access to education. The number of university students has gone up to 360,000 currently. University poles have been established in all the regions of the country. The illiteracy rate fell from 85% in the early period of Independence to less than 20% currently. Social security has been expanded to cover all social categories. The living conditions of inhabitants have been improved through the development of basic services such as electricity and drinking water. The foundations of the knowledge society have been consolidated, through reinforcing the communication infrastructure, disseminating digital culture, increasing connection to the Internet, and promoting access to modern communication technologies.

All life quality indicators have known a major quantum leap, allowing our country to hold a prestigious position in the rankings issued by international organization and institutions in terms of human development and health and social care.

These gains and achievements will be reinforced during the implementation of the 11th Development Plan whose document we signed a few days ago. The infrastructure will be further modernized, through launching the implementation of the Tunis-Ras J'dir highway over successive phases, along with the section of the highway linking Oued-Zargua to Bousalem, constructing ramps to link the cities of Beja, Jendouba, Le Kef, Bouarada, Fahs and Kairouan to the highway, implementing the new airport in the center-east, and launching the establishment of the deep waters port, along with the logistical services zone related to it. This in addition to establishing a modern network of urban railways transport in Tunis-capital, constructing 11 circumferential highways around cities and 27 bridges, rehabilitating the network of numbered roads over 2,724 kilometers , and extending the network of rural tracks over 4,900 kilometers .

The effort that will be exerted in the field of infrastructure will cover most of the sectors and regions, which will serve our national priorities, in the forefront of which increasing employment, promoting investment and enterprise creation, and enhancing exports.

The network of regional remote labor centers will be expanded to cover progressively all Governorates. Business centers will also be generalized in all Governorates by the end of 2009. This in addition to pursuing the program of establishing technological poles and business incubators, developing 600 hectares of industrial zones, and establishing 13 tourist zones with an in-take capacity of 81,000 beds.

These projects will be reinforced by pursuing the implementation of the water resources mobilization plan, through constructing 11 dams, sinking over 200 exploratory wells, and developing 20,000 hectares of new irrigation perimeters.

To achieve the highest levels of human development, and thus materialize our aspirations and our national objectives and priorities, action will be undertaken, during the 11th Development Plan period, to expand and renew the vocational training capacity of all Governorates, to consolidate the health infrastructure and the network of youth and cultural centers, and to establish, by the year 2009, 17 new higher education institutions with an in-take capacity of 150,000 students.

To promote private investment in regional development zones, and to accelerate the pace of enterprise creation therein, we give instructions for re-categorizing regional development zones and reviewing the scale of incentives and encouragements for regional development, along with the list of benefiting activities, in such a way as to reinforce incentives and encouragements in the interior regions of the country.

We also give instructions for supplementing the 11th Plan with a program for the rehabilitation of industrial zones over a 50-hectare area in the internal regions of the country, as well as for launching the implementation, in 20 priority delegations, of a first set of the new generation projects falling under the integrated development program, with a cost amounting to 100 million dinars.

Fellow citizens,

It is indeed a source of pride for our republican system that Tunisian women have acquired a high position in the family and in society, moving up them from the status of equality to that of full-fledged partnership.

We have constitutionalized the principles related to personal status, and political parties are now constitutionally bound to respect these principles.

Our celebration this year of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic coincides with the 15th anniversary of the initiative we launched for amending the Code of Personal Status and for establishing the Fund for Alimony and Divorce Annuity Guarantee, along with other subsequent initiatives which have effectively anchored equality and partnership between both genders. These initiatives have also promoted the status of women in public life and in institutions, and asserted their rights as a tangible and unquestionable social, historical and civilizational reality. This has allowed our country to hold, in this field, a prestigious position in our region and our civilizational environment.

Tunisian women today are the symbol of modernity, the guarantee of our people's authenticity, and one of the pillars of the Republic. The notion of citizenship will not be effectively materialized unless women enjoy their full citizenship.

We are also granting all due care and attention to our youth, so that they embrace the sense of patriotism, loyalty and allegiance to Tunisia alone.

Political parties and all civil society components have a fundamental role to play in promoting the sense of civic responsibility in our youth and in anchoring the values of the Republic in their minds. Instilling the values and principles of the Republic in the minds of our young generations is indeed a common responsibility that falls upon education and training institutions, political and social organizations, the various forums of civil society, and the mass media. It is their role to promote the principles and values of the Republic, to anchor the culture of equality, justice, solidarity and tolerance, to educate generations for practicing rights and accomplishing duties, to disseminate the culture of moderation and tolerance, and to reject all forms of extremism and fanaticism.

Fellow citizens,

We have always been keen on supporting and helping political parties to accomplish their role in providing guidance to citizens and organizing their participation in political life. We have taken numerous initiatives to reinforce the associative fabric, to expand its scope, and to foster its role in enhancing the sense of citizenship and in promoting volunteer action for the public good.

We have also worked to promote the national information sector. We have developed legislations, sustained the press of political parties, and opened up the audio-visual sector to private initiative, which has enriched the information and communication landscape and offered opportunity for the expression of different opinions. On this occasion, we renew our call for intensifying action in order to promote the information sector, so that it acquires more audacity in addressing various issues, reflects more closely the citizens' concerns and aspirations, and contributes to raising people's awareness of stakes and challenges.

To keep up with the evolution of the global communication landscape, and to adopt digital technology as an alternative to the analogical system, we give instructions for expanding the pilot experience of digital television, in such a way as to ensure a 90% digital cover rate in the country by the end of 2009.

Given the evolution taking place in national and international TV networks, and the fierce competition existing at all levels, we need to reinforce the public information sector in our country, by giving a new role to the second channel “Canal 21” which we give instructions to turn into a satellite channel in a fresh form and with modern programs, starting next November.

Fellow citizens,

Our vision of the Change is constantly renewed. It emanates from our deep awareness of the importance of preserving the gains of the Republic. This requires that we aspire for excellence and distinction in all our actions and accomplishments, that we anticipate developments, and that we continuously follow up the implementation of decisions, so that words will be associated with acts in all our programs and projects.

In fact, excellence and distinction have now become a prerequisite for any people aspiring to have a place in this ever-changing world overwhelmed by globalization, this latter having turned it into a global village where only the most qualified can reign supreme. It is, therefore, necessary to take advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization, while endeavoring to contain its negative consequences.

We are firmly convinced that Tunisia is capable of meeting challenges and joining the ranks of advanced nations, especially that today, the progress of a given country is not measured by its population, natural resources, or surface area, but rather by its people's intelligence, mastery of modern knowledge, commitment to action and hard work, and constant aspiration for the better.

That is why we have been keen, since the Change, on investing in intelligence. The national community has made generous sacrifices to open up wide prospects of knowledge for our sons and daughters. We have already rejected the system of university admission through competitive examination, and asserted that it is the right of everyone who obtains the national secondary school graduation diploma (Baccalaureate) to pursue his/her higher education. In a republican system, education has always been and will remain the path to social promotion, offered to all Tunisians, men and women, from all ages, regions and social categories. We have accorded scientific research and technological innovation a priority status in our programs, for they constitute a fundamental pillar for progress and invulnerability. Today, we call for granting further attention to research and innovation in all sectors, and for intensifying the care offered to creative people and to those having innovative ideas and projects.

The acquisition of sciences and knowledge, and creativity in all fields of literature, arts and culture, can be achieved only within a climate of freedom, democracy, pluralism, in which human rights are safeguarded, and relations are based upon entente, tolerance, consensus and mutual respect.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic is indeed a major landmark in the process of promoting the system of reform, development and modernization upon which we have founded our civilizational project

Fellow citizens,

With its values and laws, the Republic is the guarantee for the stability and dignity of citizens and for the invulnerability of the country.

We remain faithful to our commitment to preserve the Republic and consolidate its foundations. We are convinced that our people, who has opted for the republican system, will remain committed to it and to its protection.

We are keen on consecrating our people's sovereignty, as well as on preserving our country's independence and defending its free decision. This requires that we all embrace these noble values, so that they remain deeply ingrained in minds and hearts, perennially consolidated one generation after the other.

Long live Tunisia , free and invulnerable forever

Long live the Republic

Thank you for your attention.