Tunisia was not free from political, social and economic troubles. In the mid-1980s, these troubles grew more intense. The senility of President Habib Bourguiba, the deterioration of his health state, and his incapacity to manage the machinery of the state, combined to make the situation grow even worse. At that time, the country was faced with a serious political and social crisis. The machinery of the state no longer worked properly. The ruling party deviated from the principles underlying its foundation. The country lost confidence in the future, and the political scene was characterized by a greed for power and a fight for succession. The economy, to say the least, was on its knees.

On the other hand, this period witnessed the aggravation of religious extremism which represented a serious threat to the nation’s cohesion, unity, integrity and security, as it sowed the seeds of sedition and strife, and was about to lead the country into a civil war.

At the foreign level, Tunisia’s image on the international scene was tarnished. Observers agreed that the country was in the grip of serious dangers and sharp crises.

On November 7, 1987, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, then Prime Minister, heeded the call of national duty, and undertook to save the country from this perilous situation. Acting in full conformity with article 57 of the Constitution, he assumed the presidency of the republic.