On Friday, Tunisia's interim Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi announced that the country would be holding its first free elections since gaining independence from France in 1956.
This announcement came a week after the overthrow of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben-Ali, who ruled the nation with an iron fist, and essentially acted as a dictator.
Ghannouchi stated that in the aftermath of the elections, he would leave any political role even if he was elected, stating that he intended to retire once the new president was elected.
He also stated that like all Tunisian residents, he lived "in pain and fear" under Ben-Ali. His administration has been taking swift action against the Ben-Ali regime, as 1,200 people who are suspected of terrorist actions have been arrested.
Unfortunately, despite Ghannoucchi's disgust toward the Ben-Ali administration, and his work taken in prosecuting them, there is reason to believe Tunisia's days of oppression are not over yet.
Members of the Constitutional Democratic Rally, which Ben-Ali belonged to still plan on playing a role in the elections, and they will likely have a candidate in the running.
While they are trying mightily to distance themselves from Ben-Ali, the party's long-lasting history of corruption does not play in its favor. There is certainly reason to believe this election may be rigged and viewed in the same light as the 2009 Iranian elections, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected in what is widely considered to be a rigged election.
We at The Spectrum have our doubts that these elections will truly be "free." Considering the number of people from Ben-Ali's party, and the long history of corruption in Tunisia, we believe it is within reason to doubt that a truly democratic election will take place.
We recognize that this is a major step for Tunisia. After decades of oppression under the cruel Ben-Ali regime, the fact that Tunisia's citizens were able to rise up in protest and take down their overlord suggests than Tunisia is, at least, on its way to becoming a free country. Its citizens are becoming more aware of their rights, and are starting to take action.
In addition, we recognize that elections are a step in the right direction. Certainly, if they are held free of corruption it would be a great day for Tunisia.
We are simply skeptical that this will occur given the influence that Ben-Ali's disciples still hold. We believe Tunisia is heading in the right direction, but it may have a long way to go before it can achieve the democracy it desires.
