III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 260 

Recognizing Tunisia’s leadership in the Arab Spring and expressing support 

for upholding its democratic principles and norms. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 21, 2023 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. WELCH, and Mr. COONS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Tunisia’s leadership in the Arab Spring and 

expressing support for upholding its democratic principles and norms. 

Whereas Tunisia gained its independence from France on 

March 20, 1956, with Habib Bourguiba serving as Prime 

Minister, before becoming Tunisia’s first President in 

1957; 

Whereas President Bourguiba led Tunisia through independence and the ensuing 30 years, a period that included 

vast social reforms and restrictions on civil society and 

democratic participation; 

Whereas, in 1987, Prime Minister Zine El Abdine Ben Ali 

deposed President Bourguiba and named himself PresiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:20 Jun 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR260.IS SR260

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•SRES 260 IS 

dent of Tunisia, citing Bourguiba’s incompetence and 

failing health to justify his undemocratic actions; 

Whereas President Ben Ali was subsequently elected in 1989 

and 1994 without genuine opposition, and was re-elected 

in 1999, 2004, and 2009 by implausibly high vote margins in election processes that were widely deemed as neither free nor fair; 

Whereas President Ben Ali’s rule was marred by gross 

human rights violations and a lack of democratic freedoms; 

Whereas, the 2003 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released by the Department of State on February 

25, 2004, stated, referring to Tunisia— 

(1) ‘‘Elections are regularly characterized by notable 

irregularities, including voter intimidation, and there is 

no secret ballot.’’; 

(2) ‘‘Security forces physically abused, intimidated, 

and harassed citizens who voiced public criticism of the 

Government.’’; 

(3) ‘‘The Government continued to impose significant restrictions on freedom of speech and the press.’’; 

and 

(4) ‘‘The Government remained intolerant of public 

criticism and used physical abuse, criminal investigations, 

the court system, arbitrary arrests, residential restrictions, and travel controls (including denial of passports) 

to discourage criticism by human rights and opposition 

activists.’’; 

Whereas, on December 17, 2010, 26-year-old fruit and vegetable street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire 

in desperate protest in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, an act that 


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•SRES 260 IS 

was largely seen as the beginning of the Arab Spring 

movement that spread throughout the region; 

Whereas ensuing popular protests in Tunisia in response to 

corruption, repression, and economic failure— 

(1) forced the resignation of President Ben Ali from 

the office of president; 

(2) ended his 23-year rule; and 

(3) further inspired similar pent up democratic demands throughout the Arab world; 

Whereas Tunisia emerged from the Arab Spring as one of the 

most hopeful and promising reformed democracies in the 

region, including with an interim government and a Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting a new constitution and fostering political compromise for a future 

democratic government; 

Whereas, in February 2011, Senator John McCain urged 

United States support for Tunisia’s democratic transition, noting ‘‘The revolution in Tunisia has been very 

successful and it has become a model for the region.’’; 

Whereas, in March 2011, United Nations Secretary General 

Ban Ki-moon pledged full support for Tunisia’s transition to democracy, hailing the country’s revolution as the 

spark that lit ‘‘the profound and dramatic changes’’ 

sweeping the Arab world; 

Whereas, on January 26, 2014, the Constituent Assembly of 

Tunisia adopted a new constitution demonstrating consensus for building a democracy founded on freedom and 

equality; 

Whereas the new constitution of Tunisia includes Articles 

that— 

(1) give equal rights to men and women; 


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•SRES 260 IS 

(2) protection freedoms of assembly, peaceful demonstration, expression, and publication; and 

(3) outline an electoral system and representation 

for the Tunisian people with checks and balances; 

Whereas, in November 2014, Tunisia held its first genuinely 

free and fair presidential election since its independence 

in 1956, with 27 candidates freely competing for the office of president; 

Whereas longtime politician Beji Caid Essebsi won the election in a runoff with 55 percent of the vote, becoming 

Tunisia’s first legitimately elected president since independence; 

Whereas President Essebsi faced many difficult challenges, 

including economic turmoil, terrorist attacks, and public 

expectations for change; 

Whereas public disillusionment with the country’s political 

elites increased amid continued corruption and devastating acts of terrorism that severely hurt the tourism 

industry and larger economy; 

Whereas political outsider and constitutional law professor 

Kais Saied won the presidential election held on October 

13, 2019, and was sworn into office 10 days later in a 

peaceful transfer of power; 

Whereas, by 2021, protests in response to worsening economic conditions, further exacerbated by the COVID–19 

pandemic, occurred across cities in Tunisia, to which the 

police responded violently; 

Whereas, in July 2021, President Saied capitalized on unrest 

to unilaterally seize power by— 

(1) dismissing Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi; 

(2) suspending Parliament for 30 days; and 


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•SRES 260 IS 

(3) assuming full executive authority without first 

consulting the government; 

Whereas, in late 2021, President Saied indefinitely suspended 

Parliament and transferred all legislative powers to himself; 

Whereas, in early 2022, President Saied continued to undermine Tunisia’s democratic institutions, including by taking control of the Independent High Authority for Elections and dissolving the High Judicial Council; 

Whereas, in July 2022, President Saied unilaterally put to a 

referendum a new draft constitution, which— 

(1) consolidated power to the presidency; 

(2) limited parliamentary authority; and 

(3) diminished judicial independence; 

Whereas the new draft constitution was approved despite remarkably low voter turnout and heavy domestic and 

international criticism surrounding the lack of genuine 

debate throughout the drafting process; 

Whereas, between 2021 to 2023, Tunisia experienced— 

(1) a dramatic drop in voter participation and public 

confidence in the political process; and 

(2) an escalation in politically motivated arrests of 

political opponents, judges, lawyers, journalists, and business leaders; and 

Whereas President Saied’s actions have dramatically undermined and threatened Tunisia’s nascent democratic institutions: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes Tunisia as the symbolic birth3 place of the historic Arab Spring movement and the 


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•SRES 260 IS 

1 country’s notable democratic reforms that emerged 

2 during the Arab Spring period; 

3 (2) commends the Tunisian people for their 

4 courage and democratic achievements made in the 

5 immediate years following the Arab Spring; 

6 (3) expresses deep concern for more recent re7 versals of such democratic gains, including— 

8 (A) the erosion of judicial independence; 

9 (B) political repression and arrests; and 

10 (C) the undemocratic consolidation of 

11 power; 

12 (4) urges the Government of Tunisia— 

13 (A) to release all political prisoners; and 

14 (B) to respect the rights of the people to 

15 free exercise of peaceful assembly, expression, 

16 and the press; and 

17 (5) calls on the Government of Tunisia to sup18 port a transparent and open 2024 presidential elec19 tion process. 

Æ 


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