The EU is negotiating association agreements with several other Arab countries, including Egypt, Algeria and Syria. Tomorrow's Tunisian election result holds little interest for Mohamed Bel Hadj Amor. Such disinterest might be unsurprising were he any ordinary voter. But the disconsolate Mr Amor is one of the candidates in the country's first contested presidential election. The head of a small Tunisian party, he is one of only two people to have met the stringent qualifications allowing him to stand against President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
People remain discontented, vexed and isolated.
Mr Amor's campaign and that of Abderahman Tlili, the third candidate and also a small party leader, have caused barely a ripple. The government has sought to portray their candidacy as The government has sought to portray their candidacy as allotted far less campaign television time than Mr Ben Ali. Tunisia's tightly controlled political life and cautious opening of the political arena are such that the government decided that the six feeble opposition parties in parliament will see their share of seats increased from 11.6 per cent to 20 per cent. Tunisian officials insist these are steps in the right direction. Tunisia's cautious approach, they explain, is essential to maintaining stability, especially in light of the violent conflict in neighbouring Algeria since 1992.