Opposition parties take part in the celebration of Tunisia's 50 th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic

July 21, 2007--After the announcement on Friday by the Democratic Constitutional Rally's Secretary General of a nationwide program of celebrations of the 50 th anniversary of the promulgation of the Republic on July 25, several opposition parties have also announced a program of conferences to commemorate this historical event.

The Liberal Social Party (PSL), held on Saturday a conference on the theme “Freedom as the essence of the Republic” which was attended by a number of journalists and intellectuals during which the party's Secretary General Mr Mondher Thabet stressed that the celebration of this anniversary holds a double importance insofar as it precedes the 20 th anniversary of the November 7, 1987 Change which “gave birth to a great program of modernization of the country”. He also said that “the Republic had during these last twenty years produced several important achievements “adding that “there is today in Tunisia a platform of reflection in all freedom”.

On its part the Movement of Socialists Democrats (MDS) led by Mr Ismail Boulehya, organized on Friday a debate on the theme “Primacy of the values of the Republic”, during which Mr Boulehya said that the “Tomorrow's Republic is that of ambition as defined by President Ben Ali, it is a Republic which consecrates the sovereignty of the people and glory of a nation strong by its institutions and whose values are shared by all”. He also called to anchor republican values among the younger generations.

In a related event, the political bureau of the Popular Unity Party met on Friday under the chairmanship of its Secretary General Mr Mohamed Bouchiha. The meeting which reviewed the party's activities during the past period, also focused on the conferences organized by the Party within the framework of the celebrations of the 50 th promulgation of the Republic, as well as on questions related to the Arab scene. During the meeting, the party announced the forthcoming organization of an important conference on “The edification of the Republic: values and institutions”.

On July 25, 1957, less than a year after the country's independence, Tunisia's parliament had unanimously voted the replacement of the monarchy in favour of a republican system, putting an end to more than 250 years of Husseinite rule, during which 19 ‘Beys' successively ruled over Tunisia.