Tunisia's first democratically elected body to take charge

Tunisia: A buoyant Tunisia is to enter a new phase of democratic rule Tuesday with the inauguration of its elected constituent assembly, ten months after a popular uprising ended years of dictatorship. "This event is like a second independence for Tunisia," Ahmed Mestiri, an iconic figure in Tunisia's struggle to gain its 1956 independence from France, told AFP.

"It's the symbol of the break with the old regime and the establishment of legitimate rule," said the respected 86-year-old former politician.

A popular uprising that started in December 2010 over unemployment and the soaring cost of living ousted Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power 23 years and was thought to be one of the world's most entrenched autocrats.

The revolt touched off a wave of pro-democracy protests across the region known as the Arab Spring and Tunisians anchored their revolution last month with an historic election for a constituent assembly.

The 217-member body, which will be tasked with drafting a new constitution and picking a new executive, is dominated by Ennahda, a party inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The moderate Islamist group holds 89 seats while the leftist Congress for the Republic Party (CPR) and the Ettakatol party control 29 and 20 seats respectively. The main parties struck a deal over the weekend to split the three main posts in the new government: Ennahda's Hamadi Jebali takes the post of prime minister, the CPR's Moncef Marzouki that of president and Ettakatol's Mustapha Ben Jaafar the chair of the new constituent assembly.

Tunis, Tuesday, AFP