Tunisia, activists and human rights organizations are on high alert against their country’s reactionary drifts

ROME – The conquests of Tunisian women achieved thanks to the spirit of the revolution could be in the balance. The complaint comes from the collective “Dynamique Feministe”, Which brings together about ten local associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to monitoring human rights. At the center of the disputes is the new electoral law, issued with a decree by the President of the Republic Kais Saied, therefore without involving the Parliament, on 15 September. Tunisia will go to the vote on December 17, the anniversary of the revolution.

The new electoral law and women’s representation. With a collage of amendments, the new text completely overturned that of 2014, which guaranteed gender equality in elected assemblies and a broad participation of political parties. The most contested point of the current law is the one that introduces the single-member ballot and requires each candidate to submit four hundred signatures in their support. Of these, 50% must be women and 25% people by the age of thirty-five. But for organizations that deal with rights, the mechanism that introduces gender equality in the sponsorship of candidacies and not in Parliament has the sole effect of favoring family networks and local elites, to the detriment of female political representation.

What the Constitution says. “With this electoral system – explains Nabila Hamza, member of theTunisian Association of Democratic Women and municipal councilor in La Marsa – we will wake up on December 18 with an almost all-male Parliament. But in a country made up half of women, it is necessary that these are adequately represented for democracy to work “.” The Constitution dedicates a special paragraph to gender equality in elected assemblies – he says to Republic Alaya Allani, historian of the Manouba University of Tunis. – but in fact the new electoral law denies this principle. For now, the rate of female candidates does not exceed 15%, if we continue like this we will effectively have a male Parliament “, continues Allani. According to the historian, it would be necessary to postpone the elections for a few days and correct the electoral law by introducing mechanisms that guarantee gender equality. in order to have a more representative assembly. “If the law were to be improved, the President would make a healthy contribution to the democratic transition, the first of the failed experiments of the Arab Revolution,” concludes Allani.

The voice of the Organizations. For Sonia Miled, of the Organization Aswat Nissa, it would be necessary for all citizens to demonstrate against this electoral law and it is worrying that it is not fully understood how dangerous the situation is. The President denounces criticism of the new rules as mystifications – underlines Miled – and in Tunisia now if you challenge Saied you are automatically labeled as supporters of the Islamic party Ennahdha. The women take to the streets, they recently demonstrated in front of the ISIE building, the Independent High Authority for Elections, shouting “We are not complementary, we will not be a decoration”, they are planning new events also inside the building of the ‘ISIE, demand a change in the electoral law and promise to do battle. With this law, gender equality is sidelined despite not being explicitly written, protest activists from Women Citizens in an interview with Jeune Afrique.

The Tunisian patriarchal mentality. In a conversation published by Nawaat magazine, Nadia Zoghlami, president of the Tunisian Association Democratic Women, also raises the question of access to election campaign funding. The new law prohibits the public law, so candidates must finance themselves or seek sponsors. But women are economically less independent than men – emphasizes Zoghlami – so many of them have no possibility of accessing the electoral campaign and consequently are pushed to support male candidates. On the other hand, Tunisian society is permeated by a patriarchal mentality which still today marginalizes female public participation in favor of male participation. For President Saied, this new law stems from the idea that women should no longer be treated as weak subjects in need of protection. Merit alone should therefore be enough to gain access to power. But for Zoghlami, Saied’s vision makes a mockery of reality, where corruption and nepotism still prevail today. Until there is a real cultural revolution and a change of morals in the country, it will be necessary to provide for a system that encourages female and youth political participation.