A New Day: Tunisia Vote On Historic Constitution

Written by Ann Brown

Jan 05, 2014

Tunisia’s national assembly has begun voting on a long-delayed new constitution.

It is to be voted on article by article and politicians hope it will be adopted by 14 January – the third anniversary of the 2011 revolution.

The hope is that its adoption will help end the stalemate between the country’s opposing political factions.

The assassinations of two opposition figures last year pushed the country into a dangerous political crisis.

Correspondents say the new constitution will be a major milestone in the country’s democratic transition.

It has taken more than two years to agree on a draft text.

The 217-seat national assembly was elected in October 2011 and was supposed to have adopted a new constitution within a year.

But the process has been delayed by deep divisions between the then-governing moderate Islamist Ennahda party and the opposition, aggravated by last year’s political assassinations.

Ennahda condemned the killings but the opposition accused it of failing to rein in Islamists.