Those that follow politics in Arab countries know that
Tunisia is a model when it comes to respect of women rights. The situation
isn’t always perfect, particularly in the southern regions, but things are
improving gradually. Among young people, attitudes are similar to those
encountered in most modern countries in Europe and America.
The results of the first free election in the country
and the way it unfolded are examples of this.
In fact, remember the historic decision taken by the
ISIE (Independent High Authority for the Elections) last April of imposing parity between men and women on electoral lists. Not only was this resolution implemented across the country but it
was accepted by all parties without any opposition.
This allowed for a respectable number of women to be
elected on October 23rd. In total, 22.6% of the seats in the
Assembly (49 out of 217) were won by women candidates.
For a first time election, these results are
noteworthy especially when we compare them with the most developed countries in
the world. The tables below present statistics on the percentage of women
elected in other nations. Note that according to the standings of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, Tunisia is in 51st place in terms of feminine
representation in parliament.
America vs
Tunisia (%)
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Tunisia
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22,6
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Argentina
|
38,5
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Quebec
(Canadian province)
|
29,6
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Mexico
|
26,2
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Canada
|
24,7
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Peru
|
21,5
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United-States
|
16,6
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Brazil
|
8,6
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We see that Tunisia has more women in its Assembly that
the United States Congress and isn’t also far behind Canada and the province of
Quebec.
Europe vs
Tunisia ( %)
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Tunisia
|
22,6
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Belgium
|
39,3
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Spain
|
36,6
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Germany
|
32,8
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Portugal
|
26,5
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United
Kingdom
|
22
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Czech
Republic
|
22
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France
|
20,7
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Poland
|
20
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Italy
|
19,7
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Romania
|
11,4
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It is worth noting that Tunisia has a higher
percentage than France and the United Kingdom.
Balkans vs
Tunisia (%)
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Tunisia
|
22,6
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Macedonia
|
30,9
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Croatia
|
23,5
|
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Serbia
|
21,6
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Bulgaria
|
20,8
|
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Greece
|
17,3
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Albania
|
16,4
|
Except for Macedonia, Tunisia has as many or more
women in parliament than most Balkan countries.
Scandinavia
vs Tunisia ( %)
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Tunisia
|
22,6
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Sweden
|
45
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Iceland
|
42,9
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Finland
|
42,5
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Norway
|
39,6
|
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Denmark
|
38
|
Scandinavian nations unquestionably have the highest ratio
of elected women.
Other
countries vs Tunisia ( %)
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Tunisia
|
22,6
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South Africa
|
44,5
|
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Australia
|
27,9
|
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Indonesia
|
18
|
||
Israel
|
17,5
|
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South Korea
|
14,7
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Turkey
|
14,2
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Japan
|
11,25
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India
|
10,8
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Lebanon
|
3,1
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Tunisia is already ahead of Israel, Japan and Turkey –
a country that is regularly presented as a model in the Arab world.
Souad Abderrahim |
N.B: Still on the subject of women in Tunisian
politics, the most recent rumour emanating from Tunisia-live.net is that the
Islamic party Ennahda would soon put forward their star candidate Souad Abderrahim, elected in Tunis II, for the position of President of the Assembly. Mrs Abderrahim, a 46 year old pharmacist and mother of two children, was very
active in student union movements in the 80’s. During the electoral campaign
she drew media attention with her strong personality and because she was a rare
Ennahda candidate not wearing the veil, a fact that the party often alluded to.