the arab spring gets its first test

bud · October 26, 2011

many experts and pundits were correct to predict a win by an islamist party to govern the first arab country to hold a true and fair election since the arab uprising against corrupt dictators. now the real test comes to see if they would be able to do this by keeping fanaticism and human rights violations out.

the new leader of the elected party is rachid ghannouchi who had been in exile for over 20 years and proclaims that he wants "a democratic society built on Islamic values".

Ten months ago Tunisians took to the streets in a revolution that had no leader, was non-political, non-ideological and non-religious, ousting the dictator Ben Ali and inspiring similar uprisings across the region. Now Ghannouchi's brand of moderate Islamism has taken around 40% of the vote in what he calls "the first free and fair elections in the Arab world".

It is the first Islamist election success in the region since Hamas won a Palestinian vote in 2006. Nahda (Renaissance) has defined itself as "a new model for the world": Islamist and pro-democracy, modern, open and consensual, an antidote to the western notion of a clash of civilisations.

The party accepts it must now tread a fine line to navigate Tunisian society. The small Maghreb country has a long secular tradition, a strong civil society, a relaxed attitude to religion and the most advanced women's rights in the Arab world. If 40% of voters chose Islamists, 60% voted for parties which were secular or preferred to keep religion in the private sphere.

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