Tunisia's opposition defends unity government as pressure mounts

Tunisia's opposition leaders appear to have miscalculated by rushing into a unity government that many people will not accept, as protests Monday demonstrated that public anger has not subsided.

Exiles and protesters from Tunisia's interior, where the revolution began, have converged on the capital, adding significant pressure on the week-old government. Though a month of protests forced former President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali to flee, Tunisians are angry that remnants of his regime remain – including media censorship, the jailing of political prisoners, and a new unity government filled with former members of his party.

“It’s not a unity government, it’s a fake unity government,” says Moncef Marzouki, a political activist who returned to Tunisia last week after living in exile in Paris for 10 years. “Could you imagine in East Germany, after the fall of the wall, the communist party would say, ‘Hi, we’re still in power, we’re in control but you can have a few seats in the government?' ”

Dr. Marzouki, who said he would likely run for president in the coming elections, says Tunisia needs wholesale change that the current government is incapable of.

“From the beginning, this government wasn’t accepted by the people,” he says. “What the Tunisians want is the dissolution of the RCD [Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally], new political parties, new elected parliament, real elections, a new constitution, and new electoral laws. We want to throw away all the laws that protect the dictatorship.”

Severing ties with old regime may hold risks

Maya Jribi, head of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), says those are the goals of the unity government, but that it can’t accomplish them by instantly throwing out everyone associated with Mr. Ben Ali.

“Constitutionally, the government doesn’t cut off all relations with the old system, but politically it does,” she says. “Even though there are still people from the old regime, politically they have changed. Cutting all relations with the past and the old regime is dangerous and could be harmful for the future of democracy in Tunisia.”

The new government is tasked with overseeing new elections and managing commissions to investigate government corruption and the killing of protesters at the hands of police during the month of protests.

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