Tunisia’s parliament granted emergency powers to the country’s interim president on Monday as the nation continues to find its path to democracy. Tunisians ousted 23-year president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Jan. 14 after weeks of street protests.

Of the 195 members of the 214-seat lower house of parliament who were present, 177 voted in favor to give Foued Mebazaa power to rule by decree, according to the social affairs and human rights commission of Tunisia, reported the Tunisian press agency, TAP.

Mebazaa needed these powers in order to bring peace to Tunisia, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi told the parliament, according to TAP.

Deposing Ben Ali was the first phase of the transition to democracy, says Sylvia Maier, from New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs.

Tunisia is now in the second phase—the “transitional phase”—during which its leaders and the public will need perseverance to make genuine and lasting changes.

Maier describes the changes so far, however, as mostly “cosmetic.” She says she expects the next phase to last for quite some time before the country will move to the third phase, the “consolidation phase.”

During this time, a whole structure of institutions, credible legislation, credible executives, a non-corrupt judiciary with true separation of powers from the executive, and a political culture all need to be built. “There is no quick fix,” says Maier, highlighting that the process could take up to a whole generation.

Transitional Phase

At the moment, the transitional government is starting to make the kinds of changes Maier talks about. On Sunday, the party of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had all activities suspended and their offices closed. A Fact Finding Commission, investigating cases of abuse, embezzlement, and corruption, put out a call on Jan. 31, asking the nation for evidence. Over the last week, the commission has received over 800 documents. Governors and police chiefs in all of Tunisia’s 24 provinces have already been replaced, according to TAP.

However, these changes are all being put in place by the temporary leadership, which is still tied to the former regime, notes Maier, even if the coalition contains members of the opposition.

“It is not really a break with the past,” she says, adding that having some democratic procedures does not make a country a democracy.

Maier says that non-governmental organizations building up civil society form the foundation for democracy.

Radwan Masmoudi, director of the Center for the Study for Islam and Democracy, previously told The Epoch Times that their NGO has been training Tunisians in the skills needed for democracy over the last three years.

However, Maier mentions that many NGOs currently functioning in Tunisia are somehow connected to or approved of by the state, so are not part of a pure civil society.

Next: Level of the People

Level of the People

The actions of Tunisian people vary.

A “Caravan of Thanks” paying homage to the martyrs of Sidi Bouzid, the city where the clashes first broke out, is travelling half-way across the country, growing steadily along the way. By Monday, it had reached over 400 cars, six buses, many motorcycles, and at least 10,000 people.

Chief among the martyrs being honored is Mohamed Bouazizi, who has become a symbol of the revolution.

The Caravan was organized through Facebook and is escorted by the army, reported TAP.

In other places, Tunisians are protesting again, saying that the reforms are not going far enough and they do not trust the interim government. In several incidents, people were killed in clashes with police and the army had to intervene as protesters turned against the police bureau for their mistreatment of protesters.

Another group of Tunisians, a large group, according to professor Rym Kaki at the University of Southern California, has faith that the country is on the right path and have returned to normal daily routines.

“People I am in daily contact with remain utterly confident that the new government will pull it together and will provide the right ingredients for a freer election system, perhaps not ideal elections, as Tunisian need to learn what it means to be democratic, i.e. to lose when voted out and to accept defeat graciously. Parents are happy their kids are resuming school, businesses are happy to resume production and sales, transportation is up and running,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Kaki says there are officially 16 new alternative parties to Ben Ali’s RCD party.

Also, intellectual groups in Tunisia held a conference to discuss the country’s future last weekend, organized by the National Council for Freedoms in Tunisia. The conference concluded that the promotion of political life depends on decentralization at all levels to restore sovereignty to the people, reported TAP.

The conference further recommended boosting citizens’ participation by setting up “committees made up of citizens to protect the revolution in different regions of the country.”

According to Maier, these kinds of initiatives are necessary to “keep the fire burning.”

She said she was worried that the high expectations that things would rapidly improve once Ben Ali was gone could lead to disappointment.

Tunisia’s Transition to Democracy