Tunisia:The Role of Women in the New Political Order?

Former Congresswoman Jane Harmon applauds Tunisia on successful completion of its Constituent Assembly elections and discusses the role of women in Tunisia’s elections and the new political system. Harmon stated that  ”it is imperative that the United States signal its strong support for the new government in Tunisia and in doing so make clear its support for strong roles for women and others.”

In another New York Times op-ed, Monica Marks, writes about what the results of the big electoral win for Ennahda will mean for “key pieces of civil rights legislation, including those recognizing the right to abortion and prohibiting polygamy” in Tunisia. Marks points out that the “alarm bells” surrounding Ennahda’s political ascension are premature and that in fact “as a result of their active participation in party politics, Ennahda women actually stand to gain more from Sunday’s election than any other group…as the big winner in Sunday’s elections, Ennahda will send the largest single bloc of female lawmakers to the 217-member constituent assembly. The question now is how Ennahda women will govern.”