[2]

The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor who had been beaten and humiliated by officials, galvanized tens of thousands of young Tunisians who took to the streets last December to protest the systemic denial of dignity epitomized by Bouazizi’s plight.

The movement which quickly spread throughout the country and led to the Jan. 14 overthrow of the 23-year regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — was the first of its kind in the Arab world. Using Facebook and other social networks, young Tunisians organized without the traditional structures of such movements, like civil groups or political parties. Reacting to years of indignity, unemployment and the denial of basic freedoms, Tunisian youth were the engine behind the change that swept the country.

As Tunisia prepares for July elections for a constituent assembly that will be charged with reforming the constitution, public opinion research by NDI shows that young Tunisians are eager to participate in their country’s democratic transition, but they are skeptical about the means available to do that. In its report [3], NDI cited findings from 10 focus groups convened across the country in March. The study marks the first qualitative research on political issues since the overthrow of Ben Ali, as independent public opinion research was illegal under his regime.

The research examined how young Tunisians think and feel about the direction of their country and why those attitudes exist. Among the key findings are:

• Young Tunisians are excited by the prospect of voting and participating in the first free election to be held in their lifetime. “Many things have improved, but most importantly our voice is now being heard,” said one young man in Gabès.
• Young people want a meaningful role in the unfolding transition, and they are concerned about individuals and political groups attempting to profit from the revolution for personal gain.
• Young people who took to the streets in traditionally marginalized cities, such as Kasserine, Thala, Le Kef and Sidi Bouzid, fear they will be excluded again and expressed doubt about a political transition led by elites in the capital. “Political parties are concentrated in the capital. They have not tried to visit the interior regions where the revolution started or even other areas,” said one participant in Sidi Bouzid.
• The democratic transition is seen as a closed, elite-led process, while the revolutionary movement was open to all. The institutions and people leading the transition are widely seen as lacking transparency and excluding young people and people from outside Tunis.
• Long repressed under Ben Ali, political parties and civil society associations are little known by Tunisian youth today. These entities are first and foremost recognized by the personalities of their leaders. Youth have very little regard for political parties, which were co-opted or marginalized under the former regime.

For NDI, which has been working with Tunisians since 1998, the study sets a baseline for future rounds of research that the Institute will conduct to analyze citizen attitudes toward the transition as it evolves. NDI’s team in Tunisia is using the initial findings to help Tunisian leaders in the transitional government, political parties and civil society develop policies and outreach strategies that are responsive to and inclusive of youth.

Read the full report on the focus group findings in English [3], Arabic [4] and French [5].

Related:

• Tunisian Political Parties Learn from Transition Experiences of other Democracies» [6]
• Arab activists learn to leverage new media» [7]
• Transatlantic dialogue on democracy assistance expresses solidarity with reformers in Middle East and North Africa» [8]

Pictured above:Young people protest against regional discrimination in Le Kef, a city in north western Tunisia.

Published on April 20, 2011