The Tunisian's Have Nearly Done It.

For the past 23 years Tunisia has had to endure the Presidency of a venal little man. Under the rule of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali the nation was turned into a very real police state with censorship, secret police, political kidnappings and lots of torture. Ben Ali's endemic corruption also ruined the economy and over the past few months tensions have been growing amid rising inflation and chronic unemployment.

Matters came to a head around Christmas when a young, unemployed man was arrested by the police for trying to scratch a meagre living by selling fruit and vegetables on the street. He responded by, very publicly, setting himself on fire in protest. Huge publicity stunts with President visiting the injured man in hospital and promising to listen to the concerns of the people had no effect and on January 4th the man died and all hell broke loose. At first the President sent the army onto the streets to break the strikes and quell the rioting. When this didn't work he ordered the army to open fire on the protesters. Although dozens were killed this still didn't work and Ben Ali was forced to make a final, last gasp TV appeal to the public where he promised to step down at the end of his term in 2014 and hold fresh elections. That didn't work either and January 14th Ben Ali was forced to hand the Presidency over to the Prime Minister and flee to Saudi Arabia in the hope of being able to return as President once things had quietened down a bit. The Tunisians were having none of it and the new President was quickly overthrown and was replaced by the Parliamentary speaker who promised to hold full elections within 60 days.

Obviously the full success of the Tunisian uprising can not be known until these elections have taken place. In the meantime the countries politicians are trying to cling to power and avoid elections by forming a coalition government of national unity and Ben Ali's supporters in the secret police are on a rampage looting businesses and burning buildings. The idea is to delay the elections by keeping the state of emergency going on for as long as possible. Then if the elections are held the hope is that the people will be so sick of the violence and chaos that they will vote Ben Ali's supporters back into power to restore law and order. So I think it's time for the rioting to stop.