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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Tunisia Looks for Stability In New Government

Neon Tommy |
January 18, 2011 | 5:48 p.m. PST

 

Photo Creative Commons
Photo Creative Commons
Several members of Tunisia’s coalition government resigned today, as continuing unrest in the country threatened to derail the newly formed body.

The four members of the opposition party that stepped down were considered members of the old guard, and failed to appease protesters looking to make a clean break from the 23-year-rule of ousted President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali.

Ben Ali’s long reign in Tunisia was marked by powerful suppression of oppositional parties.  Since he was deposed, these political groups have been trying to ride the wave of month-long protests and help unify a once stable country.

“Tunisia has a strong emphasis on good quality people in their bureaucracy,” said Jeffrey Nugent, a Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California. “These new leaders hopefully can improve on the human rights record while continuing the economic success.”

Amidst a region beset by extreme poverty as well as religious and ethnic violence, Tunisia has been a beacon of peaceful, economic success. The country’s record on woman’s rights and education far outpaces most North African nations.

But it was this success in education that lead to the months of protest that toppled Ben Ali’s government. Many Tunisians with a college degree have been unable to find work that matches their qualifications. The unrest began when a young college graduate set himself on fire to protest the lack of employment opportunities for young workers, though it has extended as an opprobrium on corruption in Ben Ali’s government.

“Educated people coming out of the university won’t be coming out a school to take a job washing dishes,” said Nugent. “This isn’t India or China where wage rates can be very low, there are higher expectations here.”

 



 

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