The Modernist Democratic Pole: A 'new' political coalition
The political scene in Tunisia has witnessed the birth of a new political force: The Modernist Democratic Pole. This pole is a coalition of a number of political parties and civic associations. Mr. Riadh Ben Fadl and Mr. Mustapha Ben Ahmed, the founders of the pole, believe that it is crucial for all entities that have the same political ideas to unite.
The political scene in Tunisia has witnessed the birth of a new political force: The Modernist Democratic Pole. This pole is a coalition of a number of political parties and civic associations. Mr. Riadh Ben Fadl and Mr. Mustapha Ben Ahmed, the founders of the pole, believe that it is crucial for all entities that have the same political ideas to unite. This would offer them higher chances to attract more voters, succeed in the elections, and therefore contribute in a deeper way to the creation of the new constitution. According to TAP, the initiative came to mind after they noticed that there are three main political groups: the left, Islamist movement(s) and the remains of the former regime. The main goal of the new pole consists of establishing a republican regime based on the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary, freedom and the pacific alternation over power. The Modernist Democratic Pole is willing to “preserve our gained modernist values and to promote our Arabic and Islamic heritage.”
The rally’s first communiqué covers many fields such as politics, justice, culture and the stressed importance of each one of them. The parties, associations and independent figures taking part in this initiative declared that a unique program will be announced and that they will be in one electoral list under the umbrella of the Modernist Democratic Pole. “The Ettajdid Movement”, “The Left Socialist Party”, “The Movement of Democratic Patriots” and “The Republican Alliance” are among the parties that joined the coalition. The doors to join the pole are open to all parties, associations and independent figures sharing the same ideas with the pole. However, partisans of the former ruling party the “RCD” are not welcomed to join the pole. Abdelaziz Bel-Khouja, a member of the Republican Alliance, expressed his disappointment concerning the refusal of some parties, such as the Progressive Democratic Party, to adhere to the pole. The pole is preparing for a vast electoral campaign uniting all the members and should reveal its program very soon.