Ennahda Party
Once outlawed and brutally repressed, with imprisoned members tortured during the dictatorship of Ben Ali, the Islamist party is now very popular. Well-funded, with strong grass roots in the poorest areas, it is the best organized political force. Its founder, Rashid Ghannouchi, who was exiled in London for decades, describes the party as moderate, tolerant, pro-democracy and keen to protect women’s rights. Secular critics say it is an unknown quantity and fear that once elected, hardliners could seek to enforce a more fundamentalist Islam on Tunisia’s secular, civil society.
CPR (Congress for the Republic)
Legalized after the revolution, the CPR is led by Moncef Marzouki, a well-known Tunisian human rights activist who was for the Democratic party previously exiled to Paris.
What has changed?
Tunisia has been desperately been trying to undergo some change, but with rioting people and a corrupt government, its not necessarily the easiest thing to take place. While the government of Tunisia has formed the Constituent Assembly, chosen a president, and begun to create a new constitution, no immediate change has taken effect. The unemployment rate is still around 18%, and not much change has taken effect in terms of benefiting the people.