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Béji Caïd Essebsi Béji Caïd Essebsi Túnez, Presidente de la República; ex primer ministro Duración del mandato: 31 de Diciembre de 2014 - En funciones Nacimiento: Sidi Bou Saïd, gobernación de Túnez, 29 de Noviembre de 1926 Partido político: Nidaa Tounes Profesión : Abogado ResumenTúnez, el país que hace ahora cuatro años encendió la mecha de la Primavera Árabe y el único de los afectados por aquellas históricas revueltas ciudadanas donde ha cuajado el orden democrático, vio culminada su compleja transición política en diciembre de 2014 con la elección presidencial de Béji Caïd Essebsi. El eminente currículum de este abogado centrista y laico de 88 años, una edad muy provecta que sin embargo no reflejan sus envidiables condiciones físicas e intelectuales, presenta dos capítulos bien diferenciados. Durante la mayor parte de su carrera política, Essebsi fue un alto responsable de los regímenes dictatoriales de Habib Bourguiba, el padre de la independencia, a quien sirvió como ministro del Interior, Defensa y Exteriores, y su sucesor Zine El Abidine Ben Alí, bajo el cual presidió la Cámara de Diputados. Aunque tuvo diferencias con Bourguiba por sus demandas de apertura y luego terminó desligándose de Ben Alí y su partido, el RCD, nunca se pasó a la oposición ni renegó de sus ideales desturianos, criticados hoy por sus detractores. Tras el triunfo del alzamiento popular en enero de 2011, el veterano emergió del olvido como el primer ministro no afiliado de la fase preconstituyente de la transición. A lo largo de 10 meses, Essebsi pilotó con brío democrático el proceso que condujo a las ejemplares elecciones a la Asamblea Constituyente de octubre de 2011, cuyos ganadores fueron los islamistas del Ennahda.En 2012 Essebsi fundó un partido heterogéneo, Llamada de Túnez (Nidaa Tounes), donde confluyen pragmáticamente ideas y personas de muy diverso signo, desde viejos funcionarios reconvertidos del burguibismo -como él mismo- hasta socialdemócratas, pasando por economistas liberales y tecnócratas independientes, siendo los valores aglutinantes el progresismo y el secularismo. Colocado en la oposición al Gobierno de la Troika, es decir, el Ennahda y sus socios no religiosos, el CPR y el Ettakatol, Nidaa Tounes se erigió en defensor de las "conquistas y objetivos" de la Revolución, ciertamente arriscados en el tenso año 2013, cuando las agresiones del extremismo islamista, autor de dos sonados magnicidios, dejaron la transición en stand by. Esta fue reanudada al comenzar 2014 merced al acuerdo multipartito, solo parcialmente suscrito por Essebsi, que permitió la promulgación de la nueva Carta Magna y la asunción del Gabinete técnico de Mehdi Jomaa. La oferta republicana de Essebsi y el Nidaa Tounes, ceñida a una serie de declaraciones genéricas sobre el triunfo del http://www.cidob.org 1 of 12 Estado de derecho, la dinamización de la economía, el Islam tolerante, la emancipación de la mujer, el impulso al desarrollo social y la modernización general del país, convenció a los tunecinos en 2014, año con doble cita electoral. Primero, en las legislativas del 26 de octubre, el partido derrotó al Ennahda y conquistó una mayoría simple de 86 escaños en la nueva Asamblea de Representantes del Pueblo. A continuación, en las presidenciales del 23 de noviembre y el 21 de diciembre, su líder batió a Moncef Marzouki, titular del cargo aspirante a la reelección y antes jefe del CPR. La acumulación de poder por el Nidaa Tounes ya ha suscitado recelos en los sectores a los que inquietan el explícito desturianismo burguibista del partido y el escaso interés de su fundador en que se haga un balance reparador de los crímenes del Estado en 55 años de dictadura. La ausencia de cohabitación institucional podría potenciar la capacidad ejecutiva de Essebsi, que sobre el papel dispone de unos poderes limitados dentro del sistema de Gobierno semipresidencialista consagrado por la Constitución. Aún quedan por definir la composición y los apoyos parlamentarios, que podrían incluir al Ennahda, del próximo Gobierno de Habib Essid, figura independiente al que Essebsi ha designado primer ministro el 5 de enero de 2015. Los retos, formidables, del primer ocupante del Palacio de Cartago salido de unas elecciones directas, libres y limpias desde la independencia de Francia en 1956 son la falta de oportunidades laborales para los jóvenes, el subdesarrollo de las gobernaciones del interior y las amenazas del terrorismo jihadista, que cobran fuerza por la guerra civil en la vecina Libia y la irrupción regional del Estado Islámico. A día de hoy, el anciano presidente Essebsi pone el rostro a la singularidad de Túnez en un entorno atenazado por los retrocesos autoritarios y la violencia a gran escala, situación negativa que ha sepultado, salvo en esta parte del Magreb, los sueños de libertad y prosperidad que guiaron los levantamientos populares de 2011.(Texto actualizado hasta enero de 2015) http://www.cidob.org 2 of 12 Biografía 1. Hoja de servicios en el anterior régimen tunecino 2. La Revolución de 2011 y primer ministro de la fase preconstituyente de la transición 3. Fundador y líder del partido de oposición laico Nidaa Tounes 4. Doble triunfo en las elecciones legislativas y presidenciales de 2014 1. Hoja de servicios en el anterior régimen tunecino Miembro de una familia de de la nobleza terrateniente fundada en el siglo XIX por el general Ismaïl Caïd Essebsi (en origen un italiano de Cerdeña raptado por piratas berberiscos y puesto al servicio palaciego del bey de Túnez en 1810), con varios magistrados y gobernadores en su seno, se formó en el Colegio Sadiki, donde tomó contacto con las corrientes nacionalistas hostiles al protectorado francés, llegando a participar en actividades subversivas, y desde 1950 realizó la carrera de Derecho en la Universidad de París. En esta época fungió de vicepresidente de la Asociación de Estudiantes Musulmanes Norteafricanos (AEMNA). Una vez titulado y colegiado, Essebsi comenzó a ejercer la profesión de abogado, primero por su cuenta y más tarde ante el Tribunal de Casación de Túnez. El joven jurista se especializó en la defensa penal de camaradas militantes del partido nacionalista Neo-Destur que lideraba Habib Bourguiba, al cual ya conocía personalmente con la intermediación de su hijo, Habib Bourguiba Jr. Tras la proclamación de la independencia en marzo de 1956, Bourguiba, convertido en primer ministro y poco después en presidente de la Republica, reclutó a Essebsi para su Gobierno nacional como asesor legal de las reformas sociales que el flamante Estado tunecino pensaba adoptar. Fue el comienzo de una prominente carrera funcionarial y gubernamental en la que Essebsi sirvió sucesivamente como director de la Administración Regional, director general de la Seguridad Nacional, secretario de Estado del Interior, ministro del Interior (de julio de 1965 a septiembre de 1969) en el Gobierno que desde 1957 encabezaba Bahi Ladgham, embajador en Estados Unidos (entre septiembre y noviembre de 1969), ministro de Defensa (de noviembre de 1969 a junio de 1970) y embajador en Francia (desde agosto de 1970). Además, en las elecciones legislativas de lista única de noviembre de 1969 concurrió como el cabeza de lista del Partido Socialista Desturiano (PSD, sucesor del Neo-Destur) por la circunscripción de Túnez capital, haciéndose con su primer mandato de diputado en la Asamblea Nacional. En 1971 Essebsi llevaba menos de un año al frente de la legación tunecina en París cuando entró en conflicto con la cúpula del PSD al reclamar una democratización del régimen autoritario de Bourguiba, del que venía siendo uno de sus más conspicuos responsables. Aunque en el VIII Congreso del PSD, celebrado en octubre de 1971, escenificó su sometimiento a la línea dura preconizada por el secretario general del partido y primer ministro, Hédi Nouira, en diciembre del mismo año presentó la dimisión como embajador y regresó a Túnez, donde retomó el trabajo de abogado en los tribunales de justicia. Inmediatamente después, fue suspendido como militante del PSD y diputado. El ex ministro dejó el dique seco de la política en 1978 con su adhesión al Movimiento de Demócratas Socialistas (MDS), grupo organizado por otros disidentes del ala liberal del desturianismo, no autorizado por el régimen pero tolerado en la práctica, y cuyo cabeza visible era Ahmed Mestiri, como él, antiguo embajador y ministro del Interior. Asimismo, se puso a dirigir la revista de oposición Démocratie. En 1980, inesperadamente, Essebsi hizo las paces con Bourguiba y en diciembre del mismo año regresó al Gobierno como ministro delegado en la oficina del nuevo primer ministro y http://www.cidob.org 3 of 12 secretario general del PSD, Mohammed Mzali, un dirigente menos conservador que Nouira. De paso, volvió a los órganos dirigentes del partido y tomó asiento en su Buró Político. La completa reintegración de Essebsi en la alta función del Estado llegó el 15 de abril de 1981, poco antes de autorizar Bourguiba un nuevo marco constitucional de pluralismo restringido, menos aperturista de lo que Essebsi y otros venían reclamando, cuando fue promovido al cargo de ministro de Exteriores en sustitución de Hassan Beljodja. Meses después, las elecciones legislativas le devolvieron a la Cámara de Diputados. En los cinco años siguientes, la agenda ministerial de Essebsi estuvo dominada por la cuestión palestina. Hechos destacados fueron la acogida brindada en territorio tunecino a los mandos y fedayines de la OLP a su expulsión de Líbano en 1982 y el bombardeo israelí de 1985 contra el cuartel general de la organización palestina en Túnez capital, agresión en la que murieron 70 palestinos y tunecinos, y que fue condenada por el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU. La votación, que salió adelante con la abstención de Estados Unidos, fue considerada un gran éxito de la diplomacia tunecina. Aunque el presidente Bourguiba había quedado muy complacido con el trabajo de su colaborador en esta crisis, Essebsi no siguió en el Ministerio de Exteriores luego del cambio de Gobierno de julio de 1986, en el que el primer ministro Mzali fue relevado por Rashid Sfar.
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