Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly: Where Are The Young People?

Young people were the driving force behind Tunisia’s Revolution. After casting their vote for whom they considered to be the most capable representatives of the Constituent Assembly, young Tunisians were expecting that the new government would involve a satisfactory percentage of youth representatives. Yet, their high expectations have been baffled as only few young people are part of the assembly.

Youth’s unremarkable presence in the political arena raises a number of questions. Have Tunisia’s young people lost enthusiasm? Or have they been excluded again from the decision-making process? And could the results of the elections be a reason behind the withdrawal of some young people from the political scene?

Although the results were disappointing for many, young people seem to be quite determined to keep up the “struggle”, as Mohamed Belghazi, a 25-year-old Tunisian student said. Since 2007, Mohamed has been an active member of the Tunisian Workers’ Communist Party, the PCOT. “I understand that some young people refuse to take part in politics claiming that it has always been a corrupted field where the survival is for the fittest, but this is not a reason to remain passive”, he said. Mohamed thought that his political party has succeeded in attracting the youths, highlighting that half of the PCOT members are under the age of 28 .

One of the young members of the Congress for the Republic (CPR), Nawal Bzid, a 22-year-old Tunisian student, expressed her pride to be an active supporter of the CPR. While she recognized that not many young people are part of the Constituent Assembly, she strongly believed that young supporters can always participate in the writing process of the constitution by coming up with proposals and suggestions. Their representatives should take those proposals seriously.

“Young people can always play the role of an adviser, I don’t think it is time they become decision-makers. We still lack skills, experience and a mature political awareness”, said Nawal.

There are clearly multiple expectations amongst young Tunisians about their new political situation. However, whether or not the Constituent Assembly will take into account their demands has to be seen.