Tunisia’s contested referendum

Tunisia’s contested referendum

For more than a decade, Tunisia was seen as the poster child for democratic transition after the Arab Uprisings of 2011. By 2014 the country had had two free and fair elections and ratified a new constitution. But the consensus-building that went into drafting that new constitution soon dissolved, leaving behind partisan bickering and political deadlock.

Successive governments and parliaments failed to deliver on the socioeconomic demands that had driven the revolution: jobs were still scarce, prices were rising, and the basic services you expect from your government — everything from rubbish collection to transportation — weren’t working. The economy tanked; inflation rose; tens of thousands of young Tunisians hopped on rickety boats, trying to get to Italy. People’s dissatisfaction with their government grew. Protests raged on the streets in the winter of 2020 and spring of 2021. They wanted change.

Then, in July last year, President Kais Saied fired his government, shuttered parliament and essentially took full control of the country, saying it was the only way to stop the political deadlock. Now he’s asking Tunisians to vote in a referendum this Monday to ratify a new constitution — one it appears he’s written almost entirely himself.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, Erin Clare Brown investigates Tunisia’s constitutional referendum — and explains what it means not just for the country but for the wider region.

Episoder(486)

Separatists in Iraq and Spain vote for independence

Separatists in Iraq and Spain vote for independence

The right to self-determination is not only the core upon which we gauge human rights but it’s considered one of the fundamental freedoms the United Nations outlines as necessary to all mankind. So wh...

4 Okt 201727min

Peace efforts, economic leverage and spoilers: prospects for UN solutions in Libya, Yemen and Syria

Peace efforts, economic leverage and spoilers: prospects for UN solutions in Libya, Yemen and Syria

Another session of the United Nations General Assembly has come and gone. Fiery speeches, discussions of nuclear war and celebrity appearances made the headlines. But beyond the headlines, there were ...

27 Sep 201731min

President Trump's address to the world: The big three takeaways from his speech at the UN

President Trump's address to the world: The big three takeaways from his speech at the UN

President Trump has addressed world leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York City for the first time since taking office, and he didn’t mince words. He took direct aim at the regimes in ...

20 Sep 201728min

United Nations preview: How much does the General Assembly matter?

United Nations preview: How much does the General Assembly matter?

The United Nations general assembly kicks off in earnest next week. We analyse what might happen in some of the highlights expected from the meeting, including American President Donald Trump’s first ...

13 Sep 201734min

"Begging for war": North Korea, Lebanon and Charlie Hebdo

"Begging for war": North Korea, Lebanon and Charlie Hebdo

Despite two potential wars on the horizon, people are still finding it in them to get angry at cartoons. This week, nuclear war might break out between the US and North Korea in an unpredictable game ...

6 Sep 201731min

Hajj: The spiritual side the media rarely shows

Hajj: The spiritual side the media rarely shows

This week, more than 2 million people will go to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, Islam’s holiest event on the calendar. What draws so many to go through what is not an easy journey, one that is...

30 Aug 201725min

Understanding the war in Yemen; ISIL's last stronghold; Pioneering pilot

Understanding the war in Yemen; ISIL's last stronghold; Pioneering pilot

This week, Yemen might be approaching the first step towards a peace agreement in the three-year war. We use poetry to understand what that means. Oxford University academic Elisabeth Kendall gives us...

23 Aug 201728min

Why do white supremacists support Bashar al-Assad? Plus, An Emirati girl's space dream comes true, and Pakistan turns 70.

Why do white supremacists support Bashar al-Assad? Plus, An Emirati girl's space dream comes true, and Pakistan turns 70.

This week, half a million kilograms of rocket fuel launch an Emirati high school student’s experiment into space, as part of the Genes in Space competition. The show features a clip from Alia Al Manso...

16 Aug 201727min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
rss-ness
hanna-de-heldige
nokon-ma-ga
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-dannet-uten-piano
frokostshowet-pa-p5