Tunisia offers Libya a democratic model

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 11/07/12

Tunisia offered to help Libya's democratic transition by assisting to build constitutional institutions, establish new democratic systems and support it through any post-election challenges it may encounter.

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Sunday (July 8th) confirmed his country's absolute readiness, based on its founding experience, to help Libya complete the remaining stages of rebuilding the constitutional institutions quickly and successfully.

Tunisia sent a number of components of civil society and lawyers to Libya to observe the country's first free general election on Saturday.

The Tunisian observers hailed Libya's "good conduct".

The election was "successful and positive", observer Mohssen Haj Mohamed said.

Isolated incidents such as attempts to steal ballot boxes failed to disrupt the overall election process and actually heightened voter determination, he told media. In fact, some citizens formed a human shield to protect the ballot boxes.

On the street, Tunisians followed the events of the Libyan elections with utmost interest.

"It’s an important event not only in Libya but also for us as Tunisians because…they will inevitably have an impact in Tunisia," Ayoub Amami said. "As two countries, our destiny is one and our future is shared."

Local media highlighted the various stages and challenges that Libya can expect to experience in the wake of the election.

"Libya today stands above dangerous shifting sands of rampant weapons in every area of the country, militias outside the control of law and refusing to join the army or security, and regional and tribal feuds with extensive roots which threaten it with fragmentation and division. Thus, the elections are only one stage in the stages to overcome the legacy of the past and aspects of division within it," Assabah editorialised on Sunday.

Tunisians are awaiting the Libyan election results with mixed emotions between those backing the Islamist trend and those supporting the secular current. But everyone seems to agree that what happens in Libya will have a great impact on future relations between the two countries.

"If we look at the history of the two countries, we find in the relations between them attention to the interests of the rulers and not the interests of peoples," explained Mohamed Gharsallah. "But the Tunisian and Libyan revolutions proved the extent of cohesion and depth of relations between the two neighbouring peoples, which I hope continues even if regulations between the two countries differ after announcement of the results in Libya."

Source: Magharebia