Tunisians hope election brings jobs, democratic advances
2009-10-22
Job opportunities and democratic reform top Tunisians' wish lists as the presidential and legislative elections draw near.
By Mona Yahia for Magharebia in Tunis – 22/10/09
 [Mona Yahia] Tunisians hope that the presidential election will result in more jobs and a more open democracy. |
As Tunisia's presidential and legislative elections approach, ordinary citizens, especially young people, are hoping the outcomes will have a positive effect on everything from the media to employment opportunities.
As the presidential election on Sunday (October 25th) draws near, voters are watching as the four candidates shuttle between Tunis and other cities to connect with supporters and promote their platforms. Candidates running for seats in the Chamber of Deputies are also doing their last-minute campaigning in the run-up to the Friday legislative elections.
All four candidates for president – incumbent President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Democratic Constitutional Rally), Ahmed Innoubli (Unionist Democratic Union), Mohamed Bouchiha (Popular Unity Party) and Ahmed Ibrahim (Ettajdid Movement) – vow to advance democracy, create more job opportunities and pay more attention to young people's concerns.
Finding employment remains a high priority for young voters.
"Regardless of which candidate wins, my main concern is finding a job," said Nizar Ben Amna, a law school graduate from Tunis.
Sirin, who holds a degree in geography, echoed Ben Amna's sentiment. "I have been jobless for the past three years," she said. "My top priority is to find a job."
Figures released by the Tunisian government indicate that unemployment hovers around 14%. In the speech kicking off his campaign, President Ben Ali said that creating job opportunities is his top priority.
Beyond unemployment concerns, some Tunisians are worried about the massive changes affecting today's youth, and say the government needs to focus more on the younger generation.
Radia Mouelhi believes that youth are struggling to make sense of foreign influences, such as women wearing hijab, that have been changing Tunisian society.
"Despite the huge numbers of studies and statistics on youth and their expectations, we still notice many phenomena that are foreign to Tunisian society," she said. "This only shows that the government has been unable to find convenient solutions. Therefore, we hope that candidates will … adopt well-defined strategies to address those issues."
Others feel that Tunisia's infrastructure and key industries, such as health care, should be a higher priority.
"I believe it would have been better if the campaign funds were spent on building hospitals and institutions in order to improve people's lives and employ youth," said Fattah, a factory worker.
As the elections approach, groups of young Tunisians can be seen gathering at areas designated for campaign materials, checking out posters and platforms. Other groups are met by parades of party loyalists, who sometimes stop and explain their positions.
Still, there are some who view the approaching elections with a sense of apathy.
"Actually, I care more about a football match in which my favourite team wins, or a party at a café," said Nizar, a young man in his twenties. "Aside from that, I could not care less. I don't even know the date of the elections."
The emphasis by all candidates on the need to advance democracy has attracted attention from many voters.
"I hope these are not just slogans that vanish with the end of the elections," said Jalal Rafiq, an employee at a Tunis-based company. "Everyone seems to be talking about the same things, such as the development of the media. We're just hoping that these goals will actually be realised."
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Anonymous Posted 2009-10-22
It would have been more accurate to title this article “Naïve Tunisians Hope Election Brings Jobs, Democratic Advances”. As for the majority, they are expecting the continuation of the slump, the dictatorship, the corruption and the rage of thuggish, murderous policemen, as was the case with Redeyef. It should be noted that this campaign has been dominated by Ben Ali’s wife, whose biography has just hit the bookstores in France under the title “The Regent of Carthage”. She, along with other people, have kidnapped the boat “Carthage” from the Tunisian Navigation Company (“Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation”), as if it were her private property or the property of the party in power and is using it for her husband’s campaign. Moreover, it has become impossible to avoid seeing its appearance in the regime’s media. It is as if she has just succeeded in a coup d’état. The friends of the regime such as the Saudi reactionaries are more interested in her presidency than in the president, as is seen in their media outlets like the newspaper “Asharq al Awsat”, owned by the reigning family. The French sent “Figaro” to interview them. The wildest rumours are flying in Tunisia. One wonders what would happen in a vacuum of power. The suspicious Ben Ali cleaned house all around him with a vacuum. Every day, the media publishes his photograph with him in a meeting with the ministers or in the process of receiving them at his palace. What is always striking is that you see the president's face, but one quarter of his partners’ profiles are visible, so that you can never recognise them. Their function, but not their name, is all that's mentioned. The only exception is his wife, who always appears as if she just left a hair salon. Moreover, the media never ceases to hammer home that this woman is ripe for a high office.
mohamed ben yemna Posted 28 days ago
I have a degree in business management. I am an unemployed orphan without a father or mother. I live with my sister. My dream is to find a job.
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