An explosive, personal look at secularism in the Muslim country of Tunisia.
Tunisia, Year Zero
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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On January 14th, 2011, the people of Tunisia took to the streets in mass protest and toppled the government of Ben Ali. The event has a tremendous impact in the region which triggers the Arab Spring. Following the revolution, Tunisians make the radical choice to draft a new state constitution. Called to the urns for the first free elections of their history, the citizens of Tunisia will have to choose which model of society they wish to live in. Islam, secularism and women's status become the major themes of a campaign under high pressure.
Following the events day by day, TUNISIA, YEAR ZERO tells the story of a difficult birth: that of the first democracy in the Arab world. In 6 months, no less than 110 political parties were created. In this political turmoil, a few of them emerge: the Islamist party Ennhada seduces those disappointed with the revolution. Some other modernist parties, such as Ettakatol and the PDP, are divided on the content of their policies as well as on which strategy to adopt. Leading the polls, Ennahdha will confirm its success in the elections with more than 90 seats out of 217.
How could these results be predicted? TUNISIA, YEAR ZERO gives the reasons for the outcome of the elections.
Citation
Main credits
Ben Mahmoud, Feriel (television producer)
Ben Mahmoud, Feriel (television director)
Ben Mahmoud, Feriel (director of photography)
Other credits
Directors of photography, Thierry Rodon, Feriel Ben Mahmoud; editor, Nadia Ben Rachid.
Distributor subjects
Human Rights; Islam; Middle East; Politics; Social Movements; TunisiaKeywords
WEBVTT
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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Words written on the walls
brandished at arms length, freedom,
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pride, democracy. Words carried along
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by a crowd ready to knock
down anything in its way.
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The voice of the people,
no one could remember
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hearing that in Tunisia since the
country’s independence in 1956.
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Since then not a word. Silence.
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[music]
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Despite the fierce repression, the popular uprising
removes Ben Ali and his 23 year reign in only 4 weeks.
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It’s the beginning of the Arab spring.
The images which can be seen
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all over the world. second declaration of independence.
The political exiles are welcomed as heroes.
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Like Moncef MARZOUKI, a former opponent who has dreamt
of becoming the president of a democratic trinity
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and also Rached GHANNOUCHI, the leader
of the Islamist party, Ennahdha.
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He too, after 20 years of
exile hopes to gain power.
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But both these men must leave
their personal ambitions aside.
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The streets of Tunisia don’t want a providential
amount. They fear a counter revolution.
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And before choosing a new leader, they’re
calling for their system to be changed.
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They are demanding an assembly
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that will be in charge of drawing up a
new constitution. Like a new beginning,
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a second declaration of independence.
After several weeks of demonstrations,
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the temporary head of government Béji CAïD
ESSEBSI decides in the demonstrators favor.
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Called to the ballot boxes to
elect a constitutional assembly,
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the Tunisians are not only going to choose
their leaders but a model of society.
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Islam, secularism, the status of
women, these first free elections
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are going to seal the fate of a whole population.
This is the story of the birth of a democracy.
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A story that we have filmed
on a day by day basis.
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The social democrat and historical
opponent of Ben Ali, Mustapha BEN JAAFAR
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is one of the first to embark
in the electoral battle.
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[music]
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He is a modernist and defends the
equal rights of men and women.
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But like the majority of political
leaders in Tunisia, he doesn’t want to
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openly fight on the theme of secularism.
In the name of the country’s unity,
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he prefers to not pronounce in favor of
either the religious or secular clans.
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For him, it’s best not
to open Pandora’s box.
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He is wary of ahead on debate
concerning the place of religion
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which is sure to divide the Tunisians.
Other Democrats on the other hand
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would like to go a lot further.
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[music]
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Like Saif and (inaudible),
two young man from Kélibia,
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activists for a secular Tunisia.
They had time to for the revolution
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and for them this new constitution means that if there
is going to be a separation between religion and state,
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it’s now or never.
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But these views clash head on with
another sector of the population.
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We met them on the side of a rode
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in the suburbs of Tunis.
During the month of Ramadan,
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a small group of men come every evening
to hand out small gifts to car drivers.
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You couldn’t really call it a campaign
for road safety. Each of these men
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belongs to a religious fundamentalist
association created after the revolution.
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United with a mosque, its aim is
the re-Islamization of the society
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which in its opinion is too secularized.
In the bag,
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there is this small leaflet explaining to
the drivers how to become good Muslims.
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[sil.]
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Religion put back into the heart of
society. One of the country’s main parties
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made this its political project.
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Where its leaders don’t think
twice about making declarations.
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The Qur’an in hand.
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Historical activist on the Ennahda
party, Abdelkarim El Harouni
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have only spent 17 years of his
life in Ben Ali’s presence.
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For the Islamist movement, he is a hero. For
Abdelkarim, the country’s political history
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amounts to a face to face with
his party and the former regime.
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His goal is to appropriate the revolution
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by presenting his movement as the
fiercest opponent of the dictatorship.
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These words are greeted with enthusiasm by the
crowds principally made up of young people.
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This wealthy and well-organized party knew
exactly how to go about seducing them.
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Coaches transported the activists to the
four corners of the country for free.
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The meeting was like some American
show projected on a giant screen.
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The S.D.R. political speeches are soon to be
replaced by a clearly more festive atmosphere.
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[sil.]
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A pop star singing a sweet charming songs
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which are of course Islamically correct has the role of warming
up the audience before the real star of the evening appears.
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Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahdha.
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[music]
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On the platform, the elderly
leader presents his movement
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as a modern and democratic party.
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However, at times,
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there are demonstrators
outside their meetings.
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Some have received threats and have had to
hide their faces behind their placards.
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They come to remind the Islamists about their
nefarious past like the attack in 1991,
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in the heart of Tunis.
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For certain observers, Ennahdha’s recent conversion to
democratic values is perhaps just a political strategy.
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Despite the party’s evolution, it is
still the Qur’an that inspires the law.
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Rached GHANNOUCHI, he doesn’t hide the fact that
he wants to make the electorate more Islamic.
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Since the revolution, the
most radical Islamist parties
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continue to be forbidden. Yet,
with its ambiguous discourse,
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Ennahdha has managed to enter the democratic
game. In the post-revolutionary turmoil,
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it is in the name of freedom of
expression that it has made itself known.
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And this is a value that has
become sacred to the Tunisians.
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Even national television an element of the
former propaganda machine had to convert to it.
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And every evening it breaks
all viewing records.
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Salha(ph), A chef in the suburbs of
Tunis, began to watch national television
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a few days after Ben Ali’s departure.
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Shown at prime time,
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the liberation of forbidden speech. The words
of the people who are desperately looking
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to express themselves. For women, it’s
the moment to defend their rights
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and demand total equality with men.
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Because the Islamists are
also out on the streets.
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[sil.]
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Here’s a demonstration as a former provocation.
Public prayer in the heart of Tunis.
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This is never been seen before.
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But it has become forbidden to forbid
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and everybody has their demands. Some
just want better working conditions
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like the city police and
the construction workers.
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Others, like the lawyers, want law reforms.
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And when things don’t go quite as expected in the
streets, people demonstrate against the demonstrations.
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[sil.]
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A multitude of demands give rise
to so many political parties.
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Stemming from the civil society, many were
those who created their own movement.
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Like the writer Abdelaziz BELKHODJA.
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Just after Ben Ali left, all he needed was a
few clicks to set up the Republican Party.
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Restore the ancient Republic of Carthage,
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an original program among so many others.
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Banned or muzzled by the dictatorship, the
Tunisian political parties sprang to life.
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After just a few weeks, the country was even
ready for the Guinness Book of Records.
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111 parties in all. 12 socialist,
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4 liberal, 11 communist.
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Six months following Ben Ali’s departure, the
Tunisian electorate faced with this excessive offer
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no longer knows where to turn.
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In the old town of Sousse, deserted by the
tourists, the tradesmen are perplexed.
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[sil.]
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This plethora of small parties has in fact
only one solution to make themselves known
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and that is to find alliances. At
the end of May, several parties
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as well as independent local figures decided
to unite in order to drop a common list
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at the elections. And the
Democratic modernist poll is born.
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Abdelaziz BELKHODJA is a member.
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[sil.]
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[music]
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Still ain’t known among the general public, the
poll now needs to win each voice out in the field
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with the voters.
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Like here, in Sidi Bouzid in the heart of the country. This
is the city that has come to symbolize the revolution.
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Here is where it all began
on December 17th, 2010,
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with the immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi.
Seven months later,
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Sidi Bouzid is still a city under pressure. Just
the previous day there was a violent demonstration
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involving young people and the police.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:28.000
After the death of this young protester,
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a curfew was enforced. For
Makram and his friends,
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nothing has changed since the revolution.
Neither the repression,
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nor the way the media
portrays the city’s youth.
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Far from the capital and the seaside resorts,
here there is no industry and no tourism.
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Only thousands of unemployed graduates.
Societies rejects,
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his frustration has not disappeared despite
the revolution quite the opposite.
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The Democratic Modernist Poll organizes a meeting to speak to
these young people. But things don’t quite work out as planned.
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
A group of young people tried
to prevent the meeting
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
from taking place. For them, anything
that comes from Tunis is suspicious
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starting with political parties which they
suspect are in the pay of the former regime.
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
Faced with this unexpected situation
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:33.000
the leaders of the poll
decide to let them speak.
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:05.000
It is the underprivileged youth that
wants to upset the establishment.
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:48.000
[sil.]
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On that day, the only
thing that is unanimous
00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:00.000
is the national anthem.
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
For these young people who
grew up with the dictatorship,
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it’s difficult to believe in political
party speeches. In some neighborhoods,
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only the populist program of the
Islamists manages to find an echo.
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
If they want to be heard, the other groups
must imperatively take a prominent position.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
We’re in Sidi Hsin, a few
kilometers from Tunis.
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In this problem area the young people
have burnt down the police headquarters.
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Here, faced with Ennahdha,
00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.999
a single modernist party is campaigning in the
field. The Progressive Democratic Party, or PDP.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
Like every Sunday,
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
(inaudible) hands out leaflets
with other activists.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:15.000
[sil.]
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PDP was its charismatic
leader appears as the bastion
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against the Islamists. This centrist party
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has an asset that it is aiming to put
forward to the popular electorate.
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:35.000
Its long existence in the
Tennessean political landscape.
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The party was able to seduce young people like
(inaudible). A PDP activist for seven years,
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he has attended all the demonstrations against
Ben Ali. While the campaign is just beginning,
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the Tunisian voters discover something that didn’t
exist during the dictatorship. Opinion polls.
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:50.000
[non-English narration]
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
These are surveys in which the wealthiest party and the one
that was given the most media coverage stood out, Ennahdha.
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
There is one party, however,
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
that is more important than all the others
representing almost 50% of the Tunisians.
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:10.000
The one of the non-voters
and floating voters.
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
To help the electorate make their choice different
associations try to inform the Tunisians about issues
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
concerning the ballot. After a
day’s work in this cable factory,
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:30.000
some of the workers go to the meeting organized
by the association, \"The Citizen Bus.\"
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
As summer draws to an end
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
and after the worst tourist season
ever in the country’s history,
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
the Arab spring already seems to be a thing
of the past. The Tunisians are caught between
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
two contradictory feelings. The freedom gained doesn’t
help them forget the difficulties of daily life.
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
We meet Salha(ph) once again
in the suburbs of Tunis.
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
Following a three months of delay in the
elections like many of her compatriots,
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:18.000
she’s hoping for a rapid
return to stability.
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.999
In order to convince the
many undecided voters,
00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.999
Ennahdha plays the role of champion
in the fight against corruption.
00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
Rached Ghannouchi centres his discourse around
the themes that seduce working class voters
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:33.000
such as morals and purchasing power.
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
The party has the sense of performance. For
example, to appear close to the people’s concerns,
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
it pays for collective weddings
for those less fortunate.
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:10.000
Officially, it’s simply an
act of community service.
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
The Islamist party close hot and cold.
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
Even though it had done everything it could
to be admitted into the High Commission,
00:35:55.000 --> 00:36:00.320
the organization in charge of preparing the elections in the end it
decides overnight to leave this assembly in order to destabilize.
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:20.000
[sil.]
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
Faced with this strategy of
rapture and destabilisation,
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:35.000
the modernist camp tries to respond
by attacking their opponents program.
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:08.000
Composers of the movements,
the Islamised Camp hopes to
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:20.000
seduce certain modernists while at the same
time reassuring it’s more radical wing.
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
Two conceptions of the society confront
each other but the modernist parties
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
aren’t able to define a common strategy.
They are divided on one issue in particular,
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
which attitude should they adopt with regards
to the former executives of the RCD?
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
The previous unique party like Mohamed
JEGHAM, a former minister under Ben Ali
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:18.000
who created his movement
after the revolution.
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
For many Tunisians,
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
there is no question of reinstating those who
used to work for Ben Ali. They suspect them of
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
preparing via the ballot a counter-revolution.
An article from the electoral courters voted
00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
which in theory prevents them
from running for election.
00:38:55.000 --> 00:39:03.000
Not all the leaders share
this point of view, however.
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
For Ahmed Néjib Chebbi of the PDP,
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
the rehabilitation of the former RCD
needs to be considered case by case.
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:48.000
Faced with the united Islamists,
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
the modernist camp enters the
elections in a disorganized manner.
00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:20.000
Dozens of small parties may gain votes and
not have a single seat in the assembly.
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:39.999
Divided on the fundamental issues
as they are with their strategy,
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:45.000
the majority of the modernist leaders put off
the question of eight crucial of an alliance.
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:28.000
Ennahdha’s strategy
contributed to the discord
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
among the modernists. Out of
their own political interests,
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
some leaders like Moncef Marzouki even
initiate a rapprochement with the Islamists.
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
One month before the elections, the polls announced
between 55 and over 80 seats for Ennahdha
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
out of 217 in the assembly.
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
For the modernist parties
largely outstripped,
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
the official campaign is their
last hope to reverse the trend.
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
At last, 21 days. The militants of Ettakatol,
Mustapha Ben Jaafar’s social democrat party
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:53.000
cover the different areas.
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
But everywhere they go,
they have other activists
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:13.000
on their heels.
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
In order to reassure the voters and the wealthier
districts, Ennahdha chose to put this woman to the fore
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
in one of Tunis’s electoral districts.
Out of the 33 districts in the country,
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
she is one of the only two women chief candidates of the
Islamist party with a unique status in the Arab world
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:40.000
granted since the country’s independence in 1956,
Tunisian women are one of the keys of the ballot.
00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:03.000
[sil.]
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:10.000
To encourage women to participate in the vote, the
Democratic Womens Association produce this short film.
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.999
So that each voice can express itself,
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:39.999
(inaudible)needs to make sure
that the elections run smoothly.
00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:44.999
A few days before the vote in the offices of
the independent authorities for the elections,
00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:53.000
he has just received an object that didn’t exist
under the former regime. To convince the population
00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:54.999
to go out and vote, the elections
promised to be exemplary.
00:45:55.000 --> 00:46:00.000
Just a few days before the vote, there is an increasing
number of Tunisians interested in the election.
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.999
(inaudible) still hasn’t made up his
mind but that day, a debate on the radio
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.999
is going to make him more inclined to favor the
Islamists. Everyone in Tunisia is talking about it.
00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:33.000
It’s the Nessma affair.
00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:39.999
A representative Ennahda rises
up against the programming of
00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:44.999
the film Persepolis on the television.
He considers it injurious to Islam.
00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:50.000
Tracing him is a modernist leader.
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
The film shows God in the form of a human
being which is forbidden by Islam.
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
A few days before the elections, several hundred
Salafist attacked the television channel
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
and threw a petrol bomb
at its directors house.
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:25.000
Ennahdha condemns this violence
after having sparked things off.
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
By cleverly exploiting this affair,
Ennahdha succeeded in presenting itself
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:49.999
as the defender of the Tunisian identity.
On the eve of the poll,
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:55.000
the Islamist party still managed
to increase its electorate.
00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.999
In her neighbourhood, Salha(ph)
was keen to be the first to vote.
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
Like her throughout the day, the Tunisian
people are thronging to the polls.
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:15.000
On this historical day, the participation
figures are clearly higher than expected.
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
Ahmed Néjib Chebbi of the PDP
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
and Mustapha Ben Jaafar of Ettakatol show
confidence among their fellow citizens.
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
Yet, behind the appropriate smiles, they know that
the campaign’s dynamic is not in their favor.
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:39.999
There’s already no doubt
about the Islamists upsurge.
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:45.000
It’s the extent of it that
will come as a surprise.
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:54.999
[sil.]
00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:59.999
While the votes are being counted the
trend is going to become apparent
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:04.999
in just a few minutes.
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:09.999
[sil.]
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:15.000
Only two parties hold out
against the Islamist wave.
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:30.000
[sil.]
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.999
With more than 40% of the votes, the Islamists
are largely the winners of the election.
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:49.999
With 90 out of 217 seats at the assembly
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.999
they will run the provisional government.
00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:59.999
And while the Islamists get
free reign to their joy,
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.999
in the modernist camp is now
time for deception and anger.
00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:09.999
Some even launch accusations of fraud.
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:14.999
But for the modernists,
it’s not a total defeat.
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.999
Although divided they also obtain around
40% of the seats in the assembly.
00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.999
Ennahdha will have to accept compromises
and alliances with some of them.
00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:29.999
Despite the Islamist victory,
Tunisia today continues to pursue
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:35.000
a dangerous path albeit
necessary that of democracy.
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:20.000
[sil.]
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 52 minutes
Date: 2011
Genre: Expository
Language: English; Arabic; French / English subtitles
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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