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“Brick by Brick: How Tunisians are Laying the Foundation for Democracy” Middle East Institute International Republican Institute Thursday June 19, 2014

On Thursday, June 19, 2014, the Middle East Institute and the International Republican Institute (IRI) hosted an event entitled "Brick by Brick: How Tunisians are Laying the Foundation for Democracy." The event featured , President and Co-Founder of Afek Tounes Party, Meriem Bourguiba, a founding member of Afek Tounes Party, and Scott Mastic, Middle East and North Africa Director for IRI. Kate Seelye, Senior Vice President at the Middle East Institute, was the moderator.

Kate Seelye began the event by praising the state of 's democratic political transition, lauding the country as a "beacon of stability" and complimenting the political parties for "working towards compromise" to craft the "most progressive constitution" in the region. In particular, she praised the respect for freedom of conscience" in Tunisia. She then introduced Afek Tounes as a "classical liberal free market party" and handed off the podium to Brahim, the first speaker.

Yassine Brahim first described Tunisia's process of democratization as "doing well" but also "fragile," noting the constant political debates during the transition. Highlighting Tunisia's current political struggles, he first identified demography as "one of the main problems" in Tunisia, because around 120,000 young people enter the labor market each year, but only around 30,000 to 50,000 jobs are created. Next, he remarked that Tunisia has "never had to deal so much with this level of terrorism," and suggested working with the international community to address the threat. The final political issue he listed was the need for the upcoming election to be "at least as successful as November 23, 2011."

Brahim then shifted to discussing needed economic changes which he labeled "really fundamental reforms." He described how, "we have an economy that is still state owned" and emphasized the need to focus on being "competitive," removing protectionist policies. In his vision, "the economy could grow at a 7 to 8 percent [rate] in Tunisia." He highlighted the "hundreds" of bureaucratic steps necessary to open a business. Criticizing other approaches, he said that those with a singular social justice focus have the danger of creating a "social dictatorship" and also said that asking for foreign aid, rather than attracting investment, is an ineffective tactic for Tunisia.

Meriem Bourguiba, who helped found Afek Tounes and also crafted the women's wing of the Al Joumhouri party, spoke next. She began with the statement: "if there would be any dictatorship in Tunisia, I would rather it be the dictatorship of the law" and recalled the wishes of revolutionaries who were thirsting for justice. Highlighting the importance of the NGO sector in Tunisia, she said that "without our civil society, I don't think we'd be so smug today" about Tunisia's democratic success. She emphasized the need to invest in Tunisia's youth, including through health and recreation programs. Drawing a generational divide, she called her older generation the "sons and daughters of Bouguiba" and said "the youth of today is the Ben Ali youth," saying the younger generation was therefore less education and less satisfied in Tunisia. She also said youth largely chose not to participate in elections, using the metaphor "the refugee gave them the penalty shot and they did not shoot it."

Bourguiba also discussed how youth joblessness and women's issues are interconnected. She explained that, while men often chose not to work if the only opportunity was underemployment, women faced a double standard of working a job and also working at home. She explained how women are, in the household, the "minister" of finance, health, and transit, and even the "prime minister" of family affairs, and explained how she had built women's political movements by helping women recognize that responsibility divide. She closed by emphasizing the need to match "the spirit of the revolution" in the parliament's lawmaking.

Next, Scott Mastic of IRI assessed the state of democracy development in Tunisia and listed his organization's work in the country. Generally, he said that "Tunisia certainly looks a lot better" than other countries, citing the "collective commitment to move the country forward." He listed three main components of IRI's Tunisia program: conducting public opinion polling comprising 11 polls, providing feedback on campaign strategies, and running internal party training academies. He noted the need for "active get out the vote operations." He said, based on IRI public opinion polls, that "57 percent said parties are only interested in power and personal gain" but also emphasized that this is not a Tunisia- specific problem. Also, Mastic highlighted connecting with and recruiting women for party lists as additional trials for Tunisia's political parties.

To begin the Q&A, Seeyle asked what Afek Tounes has learned since the 2011 revolution. Brahim responded that the Afek Tounes has learned to opt for "door to door contact" and "highly localized politics" to articulate their vision to voters. Responding to a question about "confronting" Ennahda, Bourguiba explained that acted as a "confronting power," so Afek Tounes has not needed to. However, no panelist spoke of solutions for a secular coalition. In response to a question about campaigning within the "noise" of political parties in Tunisia, Mastic said that "direct contact with people really makes a difference" and Brahim said his party would focus on Facebook over Twitter and e-mail.