5 Years On, Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution Continues From the Ground Up

Tunisians are marking five years since the culmination of their “Jasmine Revolution.”

A Tunisian woman raises her ink-stained finger in front of a national flag after casting her vote in the country's first post-revolution presidential election on Nov. 23, 2014, at a polling station in the capital Tunis. Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

Tunisians are marking five years since the culmination of their “Jasmine Revolution.” Since its longtime authoritarian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced out of office in January 2011, Tunisia has been embarking on a long transition to constitutional democracy—a transition that, although very bumpy at times, has nevertheless led to two successful multi-party elections and a new constitution.

The award of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize to the Tunisia National Dialogue Quartet, representing Tunisian civil society, was but one of many recognitions by the international community for the progress the country has made on its path to a stable and democratic new order.

The ability of Tunisia's president and the opposition leader to compromise and work with other national, social, and political movements has become the safety net for the country during this tumultuous transition process.