| Fouad Mebazaa فؤاد المبزع |
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| President of Tunisia Acting |
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| In office 15 January 2011 – 13 December 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Mohamed Ghannouchi Beji Caid el Sebsi |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Ghannouchi (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Moncef Marzouki |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 14 October 1997 – 15 January 2011 |
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| President | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali |
| Preceded by | Habib Boularès |
| Succeeded by | Sahbi Karoui (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-06-15) 15 June 1933 (age 79)[1] Tunis, Tunisia |
| Political party | Independent (2011–present)[2] |
| Other political affiliations |
Constitutional Democratic Rally (Before 2011) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Fouad Mebazaa (Arabic: فؤاد المبزع Fuʾād al-Mubazzaʿ; born 15 June 1933) is a Tunisian politician who was President of Tunisia from 15 January 2011 to 13 December 2011.[3] He was active in Neo Destour prior to Tunisian independence,[1] served as Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Public Health, and Minister of Culture and Information,[1] and has been President of the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia[4] since 1997.[1]
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Born during the French occupation of Tunisia, Mebazaa became a member of the "constitutional youth" in 1947 and was elected a member of the Aix–Marseille unit of the Neo Destour political party, which played a major role in gaining independence from France.[1] He was elected as Secretary-General of the Marsa unit of Neo Destour in 1955 and President of its Montpellier unit in 1956.[1]
After Tunisian independence in 1956, Mebazaa was elected to the Chamber of Deputies several times, starting in 1964.[1] He was Governor-Mayor of Tunis from 1969 to 1973, occupied several ministerial posts relating to youth, sports, public health, culture and information during the 1970s and late 1980s, and was an ambassador in Geneva and Morocco during the 1980s.[1] Mebazaa has been a member the Central Committee of the Constitutional Democratic Rally since 1988. From 1995 to 1998 he was Mayor of Carthage.[1] He was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies in 1997 and reelected in 2004.[1]
After the exile of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia following continued protests, Mebazaa was appointed as President following the Constitutional Council's interpretation of the situation and the Constitution. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi had briefly claimed to be President the previous day, prior to the Constitutional Council's declaration of its opinion.[5] Under Article 57 of the Constitution, an election should have taken place between 45 to 60 days following Mebazaa's appointment.[3][6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Habib Boularès |
President of the Chamber of Deputies 1997–2011 |
Succeeded by Sahbi Karoui Acting |
| Preceded by Mohamed Ghannouchi Acting |
President of Tunisia Acting 2011 |
Succeeded by Moncef Marzouki |
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Mebazaa, Fouad |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 15 June 1933 |
| Place of birth | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
| Mohamed Ghannouchi محمد الغنوشي |
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| Prime Minister of Tunisia | |
| In office 17 November 1999 – 27 February 2011 |
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| President | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Fouad Mebazaa (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Hamed Karoui |
| Succeeded by | Beji Caid el Sebsi |
| President of Tunisia Acting |
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| In office 14 January 2011 – 15 January 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali |
| Succeeded by | Fouad Mebazaa (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1941-08-18) 18 August 1941 (age 70) Sousse, French Protectorate of Tunisia (now Tunisian Republic) |
| Political party | Independent (2011–present)[1] |
| Other political affiliations |
Constitutional Democratic Rally (Before 2011) |
| Spouse(s) | Name Privte |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Tunis University |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Mohamed Ghannouchi (Arabic: محمد الغنوشي Muhammad Al-Ghannushi; born 18 August 1941) is the former Prime Minister of Tunisia and was self-proclaimed acting President of the country for a few hours starting 14 January 2011,[2][3] under Article 56 of the Constitution of Tunisia.[4][5] Regarded as a technocrat, Ghannouchi has been a long-standing figure in the Tunisian government; he was Minister of Finance from 1989 to 1992, Minister of International Cooperation from 1992 to 1999, and Prime Minister of Tunisia from 1999 to 2011, making him the longest serving prime minister since the proclamation of independence, suprassing his predecessor Hamed Karoui.[6]
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Ghannouchi is a member of the Tunisian parliament for the Democratic Constitutional Rally. From 1992 to 1999, he was the Minister of International Co-operation and Foreign Investment, and from 1999 to 2011 he was the Prime Minister of Tunisia[6] until the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 in the wake of the 2010–2011 Tunisian uprising.
In a 2006 diplomatic cable from the United States that was leaked by WikiLeaks during the United States diplomatic cables leak, Ghannouchi was described as being generally popular among the population of Tunisia.[7] Ghannouchi was seen as a respected technocrat by US diplomats in early 2010, with a cable stating, "Prime Minister Ghannouchi, the respected, dilligent [sic], pragmatic, and apolitical technocrat, has served in his post since 1999 and with his reappointment appears set to surpass longevity records for senior officials since Tunisia's independence in 1956. Tunis oddsmakers had expected Ghannouchi, reportedly tired after a decade on the job, to move on, but it appears Ben Ali has come to view him as indispensable."[8] Passport, a blog by Foreign Policy, gave a different view of Ghannouchi, saying he "is not necessarily any more popular than Ben Ali, though he's not nearly as tainted by the lurid tales of corruption and excess that so damaged the ruling family. But Tunisians certainly don't respect the prime minister; they call him 'Mr. Oui Oui' because he's always saying yes to Ben Ali".[9]
On January 14, 2011, before Ben Ali had fled the country during the Tunisian Revolution, Ghannouchi announced that Ben Ali had called for parliamentary elections in six months, dismissed the government, and asked him to form a new government.[10] During the evening, Ghannouchi announced that he was taking temporary control of the country on state television.[11] Ghannouchi promised to begin discussing political and economic reforms the next day.[12] Ghannouchi has said he will hold new elections within sixty days, as required by the Tunisian Constitution.[13] On January 15, The Economist Online reported that some protesters were calling for Ghannouchi to step down.[13] On that same day, it was announced that Congress Speaker Fouad Mebazaa was taking the post of Acting President of Tunisia.[14]
Al Jazeera claimed that some lawyers disagreed with Ghannouchi's claim to power, interpreting the constitution differently, in particular referring to Article 57.[15]
Afterwards he resumed as Prime Minister and formed a new national unity government that included members of opposition parties, civil society representatives, and even a blogger, Slim Amamou, who only a week previous had been imprisoned by the regime of the deposed President.[16]
Ghannouchi resigned his membership of the RCD on 18 January. His resignation was followed by similar action by the other RCD members within the government; but on 27 January Ghannouchi carried out a major reshuffle of the government to remove all former RCD members other than himself.
After a new wave of protests, Ghannouchi resigned as PM on 27 February 2011.[17][18]
Ghannouchi has stated his support for the destruction of Israel, saying "I bring glad tidings that the Arab region will get rid of the germ of Israel. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leader of the Hamas movement, once said that Israel would disappear before 2027. That date may be too far off; Israel may disappear before that."[19][20]
He is married and has two children.[21]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hamed Karoui |
Prime Minister of Tunisia 1999–2011 |
Succeeded by Beji Caid el Sebsi |
| Preceded by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali |
President of Tunisia Acting 2011 |
Succeeded by Fouad Mebazaa Acting |
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Ghannouchi, Mohamed |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 18 August 1941 |
| Place of birth | Sousse, Tunisia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
| Moncef Marzouki المنصف المرزوقي |
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| President of Tunisia ad interim[1] |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 December 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Beji Caid el Sebsi Hamadi Jebali |
| Preceded by | Fouad Mebazaa (Acting) |
| Leader of the Congress for the Republic | |
| In office 24 July 2001 – 13 December 2011 |
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| Deputy | Abderraouf Ayadi |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abderraouf Ayadi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1945-07-07) 7 July 1945 (age 66) Grombalia, Tunisia |
| Political party | Congress for the Republic |
| Alma mater | University of Strasbourg |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Website | Official website |
Moncef Marzouki (Arabic: المنصف المرزوقي, al-Munṣif al-Marzūqī, born 7 July 1945) is the interim President of Tunisia. Through his career he has been a human rights activist, physician and politician. On 12 December 2011, he was elected President of Tunisia by the Constituent Assembly.
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Born in Grombalia, Tunisia, Marzouki studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg in France. Returning to Tunisia in 1979, he founded the Center for Community Medicine in Sousse and the African Network for Prevention of Child Abuse, also joining Tunisian League for Human Rights.[2] In his youth, he had travelled to India to study Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful resistance.[3] Later, he also travelled to South Africa to study its transition from apartheid.[4]
When the government cracked down violently on the Islamist Ennahda Movement in 1991, Marzouki confronted Tunisian President Ben Ali calling on him to adhere to the law.[4] In 1993, Marzouki was a founding member of the National Committee for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience, but he resigned after it was taken over by supporters of the government. He was arrested on several occasions on charges relating to the propagation of false news and working with banned Islamist groups. He subsequently founded the National Committee for Liberties. He became President[2] of the Arab Commission for Human Rights and as of 17 January 2011 (2011 -01-17)[ref] continues as a member of its Executive Board.[5]
In 2001, he founded the Congress for the Republic.[6][7] This was banned in 2002, but Marzouki moved to France and continued running it.[2]
Following President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's departure from Tunisia and the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests, Marzouki announced his return to Tunisia and his intention to run for the presidency.[2]
On 12 December 2011, the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, a body elected to govern the country and draft a new constitution, elected Marzouki as the interim President of the Tunisian Republic, with 155 votes for, 3 against, and 42 blank votes.[1][8] Blank votes were the result of a boycott from the opposition parties, who considered the new mini-constitution of the country an undemocratic one.
On 14 December, one day after his accession to office, he appointed Hamadi Jebali of the moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement as Prime Minister.[9] Jebali presented his government on 20 December.[10]
On 28 March 2012, two men were convicted of "insulting the sacred" and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The convictions stemmed from the two men posting images online of the Prophet Muhammad having sex with one of his wives, Aisha.[11] In an interview with Al Jazeera English in May, Marzouki stated that he does not feel the convictions in the case represent a threat to civil liberties in Tunisia.[12]
On 3 May 2012, Nessma TV owner Nabil Karoui and two others were convicted of "blasphemy" and "disturbing public order." The charges stemmed from the network's decision to broadcast a dubbed version of the 2007 Franco-Iranian film Persepolis, which includes several visual depictions of God, which is considered blasphemous by Islamic fundamentalists. Karoui was fined 2,400 dinars for the broadcast, while the station's programming director and the president of the women's organization which provided dubbing for the film were fined 1,200 dinars.[13] Responding to the verdict, Marzouki stated to members of the press in the presidential palace in Tunis, "I think this verdict is bad for the image of Tunisia. Now people in the rest of the world will only be talking about this when they talk about Tunisia."[14]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Leader of the Congress for the Republic 2001–2011 |
Succeeded by Abderraouf Ayadi |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Fouad Mebazaa Acting |
Interim President of Tunisia 2011–present |
Incumbent |
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Marzouki, Moncef |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 7 July 1945 |
| Place of birth | Grombalia, French Tunisia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
