After 23 years of iron-fisted rule, the
president of Tunisia was driven from power Friday by violent
protests over soaring unemployment and corruption. Virtually
unprecedented in modern Arab history, the populist uprising sent an
ominous message to authoritarian governments that dominate the
region.
The office of Saudi King Abdullah confirmed early Saturday that
ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family had landed
in Saudi Arabia, after several hours of mystery over his
whereabouts. "As a result of the Saudi kingdom's respect for the
exceptional circumstances the Tunisian people are going through, and
with its wish for peace and security to return to the people of
Tunisia, we have welcomed" him, the statement said.
Tunisians buoyant over Ben Ali's ouster faced uncertainly,
however, about what's next for the North African nation. The country
was under the caretaker leadership of the prime minister who took
control, the role of the army in the transition was unknown, and it
was uncertain whether Ben Ali's departure would be enough to restore
calm.
The ouster followed the country's largest protests in generations
and weeks of escalating unrest, sparked by one man's suicide and
fueled by social media, cell phones and young people who have seen
relatively little benefit from Tunisia's recent economic growth.
Thousands of demonstrators from all walks of life rejected Ben Ali's
promises of change and mobbed Tunis, the capital, to demand that he
leave.
The government said at least 23 people have been killed in the
riots, but opposition members put the death toll at more than three
times that.
On Friday, police repeatedly clashed with protesters, some of
whom climbed onto the entrance roof of the dreaded Interior
Ministry, widely believed for years to be a place where the regime's
opponents were tortured.
With clouds of tear gas and black smoke drifting over the city's
whitewashed buildings, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi went on
state television to announce that he was assuming power in this
North African nation known mostly for its wide sandy beaches and
ancient ruins.
"I take over the responsibilities temporarily of the leadership
of the country at this difficult time to help restore security,"
Ghannouchi said in a solemn statement on state television. "I
promise ... to respect the constitution, to work on reforming
economic and social issues with care and to consult with all
sides."
The prime minister, a longtime ally of the president, suggested
that Ben Ali had willingly handed over control, but the exact
circumstances were unclear.
In a string of last-ditch efforts to tamp down the unrest, Ben
Ali dissolved the government and promised legislative elections
within six months - a pledge that appeared to open at least the
possibility of a new government. Before his removal of power was
announced, he declared a state of emergency, including a curfew that
was in effect Friday night and was to be lifted at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Isolated bursts of gunfire broke a general quiet in the evening.
But overnight, in a sign that Ben Ali's departure hadn't fully
restored calm, plainclothes police were seen hustling some people
off the streets of Tunis: One was clubbed, another was dragged on
the ground.
European tour companies moved thousands of tourists out of the
country. Foreign airlines halted service to Tunisia, and said the
country's airspace had been temporarily shut down.
Ben Ali's downfall sent a potentially frightening message to
autocratic leaders across the Arab world, especially because he did
not seem especially vulnerable until very recently.
He managed the economy of his small country of 10 million better
than many other Middle Eastern nations grappling with calcified
economies and booming young populations. He turned Tunisia into a
beach haven for tourists, helping create an area of stability in
volatile North Africa. There was a lack of civil rights and little
or no freedom of speech, but a better quality of life for many than
in neighboring countries such as Algeria and Libya.
Ben Ali had won frequent praise from abroad for presiding over
reforms to make the economy more competitive and attract business.
Growth last year was at 3.1 percent.
Unemployment, however, was officially measured at 14 percent, and
was far higher - 52 percent - among the young. Despair among
job-seeking young graduates was palpable.
The riots started after an educated but jobless 26-year-old
committed suicide in mid-December when police confiscated the fruits
and vegetables he was selling without a permit. His desperate act
hit a nerve, sparked copycat suicides and focused generalized anger
against the regime into a widespread, outright revolt.
The president tried vainly to hold onto power. On Thursday night
he went on television to promise not to run for re-election in 2014
and slashed prices on key foods such as sugar, bread and milk.
Protesters gathered peacefully Friday in front of the Interior
Ministry, but six hours after the demonstration began hundreds of
police with shields and riot gear moved in. Helmeted police fired
dozens of rounds of tear gas and kicked and clubbed unarmed
protesters - one of whom cowered on the ground, covering his face.
A few youths were spotted throwing stones, but most demonstrated
calmly. Protesters were of all ages and from all walks of life, from
students holding sit-ins in the middle of the street to doctors in
white coats and black-robed lawyers waving posters.
"A month ago, we didn't believe this uprising was possible,"
said Beya Mannai, a geology professor at the University of Tunis.
"But the people rose up."
"My first reaction is relief," said Dr. Souha Naija, a resident
radiologist at Charles Nicole Hospital. "He's gone. ... I finally
feel free."
"They got the message. The people don't want a dictator."
However, she voiced concern for the future because, officially at
least, Ben Ali vacated power only temporarily.
"It's ambiguous," she said.
Nejib Chebbi, a founder of the main legal opposition party, said
the dramatic developments do not amount to a coup d'etat.
"It's an unannounced resignation," Chebbi said by telephone. To
declare a permanent absence of a head of state, such as in a coup,
elections would have to be held within 60 days, he said. "So they
declare a temporary vacating of power."
U.S. President Barack Obama said he applauded the courage and
dignity of protesting Tunisians, and urged all parties to keep calm
and avoid violence.
Arabs across the region celebrated news of the Tunisian uprising
on Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Thousands of tweets congratulating
the Tunisian people flooded the Internet, and many people changed
their profile pictures to Tunisian flags.
Egyptian activists opposed to President Hosni Mbarak's
three-decade regime looked to the events in Tunisia with hope. About
50 gathered outside the Tunisian Embassy in Cairo to celebrate with
singing and dancing. They chanted, "Ben Ali, tell Mubarak a plane
is waiting for him, too!"
Swirling speculation about Ben Ali's location had reached such a
feered pitch that the governments of France and Malta - just two of
several countries where he was speculated to be heading - put out
statements saying they have had no requests to accommodate him.
One French official, speaking on condition of anonymity because
of the sensitivity of the matter, said the Frenc government did not
want Ben Ali there.
Ghannouchi is a 69-year-old economist who has been prime minister
since 1999 and is among the best-known faces of Tunisia's
government. He did not say anything about a coup or about the army
being in charge.
Ben Ali, 74, came to power in a bloodless palace coup n 1987. He
took over from a man formally called President-for-Life - Habib
Bourguiba, the founder of modern-day Tunisia who set the Muslim
country on a pro-Western course after independence from France in
1956.
Ben Ali removed Bourguiba from office for "incompetence,"
saying he had become too old, senil and sick to rule. Ben Ali
promised then that his leadership would "open the horizons to a
truly democratic and evolved political life."
But after a brief period of reforms, Tunisia's political
evolution stopped.
Ben Ali consistently won elections with questionable tallies: In
2009, he was re-electe for a fifth five-year term with 89 percent
of the vote - and that was the lowest official percentage of any of
his victories. Before that vote, he had warned opponents they would
face legal retaliation if they questioned the election's fairness.
U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks have called Tunia
a "police state" and described the corruption there, saying Ben
Ali had lost touch with his people. Social networks like Facebook
helped spread the comments to the delight of ordinary Tunisians, who
have complained about the same issues for years.
Under Ben Ali, most opposition parties were illegal. mnesty
International said authorities infiltrated human rights groups and
harassed dissenters. Reporters Without Borders described Ben Ali as
a "press predator" who controlled the media.
There is little precedent in the Arab world for a ruler being
ousted by street protests. In Sudan in 1985, a collapsin economy
and other grievances sparked a popular uprising, although the
government was eventually ousted by a military coup.
The closest parallel in the broader Middle East comes from Iran -
which is not an Arab nation - where mass demonstrations helped
topple the shah and usher in the Islamic Republic in 1979.
Tunisia's giant neighbor Algeria saw huge protests before it was
shaken by a military coup in 1992, with a five-man leadership put in
place after the army canceled the nation's first multiparty
legislative elections, which a Muslim fundamentalist party was
poised to win. The party, the Islamic Salvation Front, became a
vehicle for popular dissent.
There were also massive demonstrations in Lebanon in 2005, dubbed
the "Cedar Revolution," but those were directed against Syrian
influence in the country and not the Lebanese government per se. The
protests led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and the
resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister and fresh
elections.
Al-Qaida's North African offshoot appeared to try to capitalize
on the Tunisian unrest, offering its support for protesters this
week. There has been no sign of Islamic extremist involvement in the
rioting.
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Nicolas Garriga and Oleg Cetinic in Tunis, Angela Doland, Greg
Keller and Jamey Keaten in Paris and Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Cairo
contributed to this report.
