Combative Trump blames diversity policies after air tragedy    Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners on same day UNRWA ban comes into effect    FireAid: Stars take to stage for LA benefit concert    New Zealand mountain gets personhood    Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78    Saudi King and Crown Prince express condolences over deadly mid-air collision in Washington    Saudi, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional issues in phone call    MWL chief meets Italian president in Rome; thanking him for supporting two-state solution    Ettifaq sack Steven Gerrard after poor results, appoint Saad Al-Shehri as new head coach    National Cybersecurity Authority launches 2nd phase of Postgraduate Scholarship Program    GASTAT: Real GDP records growth of 4.4% in Q4 2024    Saudi Arabia launches inaugural Art Week Riyadh on April 6-13    Saudi crown prince and European Council president discuss over phone ways to enhance cooperation    NEOM's THE LINE set to begin vertical construction by end of year    HP is redefining the Future of Work with AI    Mona Lisa to be moved as part of major Louvre overhaul    Neymar bids heartfelt goodbye to Al-Hilal: I will always support you    Al-Nassr announces transfer of Brazilian forward Talisca to Fenerbahçe    SFDA chief rules out plan to ban sale of cigarettes or vapes    Al Hilal and Neymar mutually agree to part ways    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tunisia's new president pledges reconciliation
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 01 - 2015

TUNIS — Tunisia's new president was Wednesday sworn in before parliament as the nation completes its democratic transition on the last day of 2014.
Beji Caid Essebsi, an 88-year-old veteran of past governments, swore before the parliament dominated by his Nida Tunis Party to protect the country and not exclude any Tunisians.
Tunisians kicked off the Arab Spring in 2011 when they overthrew their long-ruling dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
After a rocky transition, partly run by an Islamist party, Tunisians voted in Essebsi and his party, which includes many veterans of the old regime, in a series of elections this fall.
The campaign between Essebsi and outgoing president Moncef Marzouki was bitter.
At his inauguration, Essebsi said there would be no future for the country without consensus and national reconciliation.
Essebsi told parliament he would be "the president of all Tunisians" and "the guarantor of national unity".
"There is no future for Tunisia without consensus among political parties and members of civil society," he said. "There is no future for Tunisia without national reconciliation."
Essebsi's opponents have accused him of seeking a return to the era of Ben Ali, who clung to power for 23 years, combining authoritarian rule with a degree of prosperity and stability for his people.
Following independence from France in 1956, he became an adviser to the country's founding father and first president, Habib Bourguiba, holding a number of key jobs under him and then Ben Ali.
His Nidaa Tounes movement, which won landmark parliamentary elections in October, includes many members of Ben Ali's old ruling party. But the anti-Islamist lawyer says Tunisia has turned a page on the past.
Essebsi took 55.68 percent of the presidential vote in the Dec. 21 runoff against Marzouki.
It was the first time Tunisians have freely elected their head of state since independence in 1956.
Parliament Speaker Mohamed Ennaceur described the oath-taking ceremony as "an exceptional moment in history".
The revolution that began in Tunisia spread to many parts of the Arab world, with mass protests in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
In every country except Tunisia the revolution was followed by violent turmoil or, as in Syria's case, a devastating civil war.
Essebsi and the new government will face major challenges.
Tunisia's economy is struggling to recover from the upheaval of the revolution and there is a growing threat from militants long suppressed under Ben Ali. — Agencies


Clic here to read the story from its source.