Islamists win elections in Tunisia

Discussion in 'Politics & Current Events' started by Umar, Oct 27, 2011.

  1. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
    One step ahead
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    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15487647

    Just want to congratulate Tunisia for their democratic elections after decades of repressive secular dictatorship. With their newfound political freedom, they have decided to vote in droves for the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which received 41% of the popular vote (about three times as many votes as its nearest rival) without winning an overall majority. Of course this was only around half of what the former President used to get in previous elections, but no-one's perfect :)

    The hard part begins now for Tunisians in general and Ennahda in particular. I'm hoping they have the resolve and the nous to follow through on their promises after the elections, and serve their people in a befitting manner.
     
  2. Matt in the Hat

    Matt in the Hat Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 21, 2002
    Brooklyn
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    Good luck to them. America seems to be on the right track with it's christianist and moderate christianist duopoly so Tunisia has little to worry over.
     
  3. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
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    oh shit, Obama better watch out, Republican type Party just won the election in North Africa, the tide is turning to the conservatives. :D

    Now they get to write a constitution.

    As long as they do not make the Berber people 3/5 worth of an Arab, they will be ahead of how we started.
     
  4. cleansheetbsc

    cleansheetbsc Member+

    Mar 17, 2004
    Club:
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    As long as their constitution has a balanced budget clause in it, they'll be all set.
     
  5. Kobranzilla

    Kobranzilla Member

    Sep 6, 2001
    NY F'in City
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    ******** that ... better start by making the Ghey Marriage illegal right from the get go...also make it dam near impossible for illegals to come work there...oh!!!! and make assault rifles mandatory..oh oh oh oh !!!!!! no taxes...ever!!!!
     
  6. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
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    This transition is gonna be more difficult than I'd hoped:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15493190

    And I'm baffled as to why y'all would think that Ennahda is closer to the Republicans than the Democrats. There are very few parallels between Ennahda and either of the US political parties.
     
  7. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
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    There are more parallels with them than with any big European party, or whatever the party in power in Iran is called imo.

    In the end they need to find a way to incorporate Islam into their democracy, and they won't be able to do that if they copy Western parties. I am sure they will not make it as extreme as the transition was in Iran, and I think in the end they'll be fine.
     
  8. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
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    They themselves draw parallels with the Christian Democrats in Germany, and with the moderate Islamists in Turkey:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15453466
     
  9. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
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    Hannover 96
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    It makes sense for them. As soon as Islamists come up as a topic everybody in the West just thinks of Hamas, Iran and the Taliban. Compared to what they want they are much closer to the Christian Democrats. However, I'd say the American parties (or the American people, basically) is somewhere between the position of the CDU and the Turkish government, and I don't see an islamic country just becoming as secular as them. At best they'll be between the REPs and the Turkish party.

    Which is not a bad thing at all. Just copying Western enlightenment style democracy will not work for them, it barely worked for Turkey.
     
  10. minerva

    minerva Member+

    Apr 20, 2009
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    democracy is a hell of a thing...
    sometimes unpredictable.
    and doesn't always give you the results you anticipate.
     
  11. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
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    Yes probably somewhere between the Christian Democrats, the AK Party and the Republican Party. Parties that use their religious morals/conservatism to guide their laws.
     
  12. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
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  13. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
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    The othe parties:

    CPR 30 seats wiki center-left, secular.

    Ettackatol 21 seats wiki left, secular.

    PP 19 seats wiki Populist (?) rich guys party, may have been friendly with the prior government.

    PDP 17 seats wiki secular, liberal.

    DMP 5 seats wiki A colition of movenments, not sure if liberal or conservative, but I guess they do support a separation of religion and law.

    Initiative (RCD) party of the old guard 5 seats wiki I guess this is where the former government people went. Not sure how to classify them.

    Afek Tounes 4 seats wiki liberal.

    Communist 3 seats.

    11 Independent so I assume multiple political views here

    9 other smaller parties hold the other 11 seats.
     
  14. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
    One step ahead
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    This liberal/conservative dichotomy doesn't really apply in Muslim societies. Many Islamist parties, for instance, are in favour of "socialist" policies such as redistribution of wealth in favour of the poor, combined with "radical" economic policies such as the elimination of interest, combined with "conservative" policies when it comes to family values etc. They aren't trying to ape the West - they are what they are.

    I doubt that a party with a leader whose daughter went to study law at London and Cambridge would be regarded as "conservative" by Tunisians at large.
     
  15. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
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    Chicago Red Stars
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    No doubt, specially when the rich people holding the wealth got there with the support of the corrupt secular regime, I assume there will be bad blood between the Islamist and the old guard (well the old guard only got 5 seats plus maybe the 19 that the TV owner got for a total of 24 seats) so other collations can be formed with out them.

    Now the secular parties hold I think a max of 76 seats (including the Communist) so even if they get together they will still have to make deals with some independents and maybe the old guard guys to even get close to 109 seats.

    At the end I think that a coalition of Enahda and one of the secular parties is what is going to form.

    Then again, who the hell knows.
     

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