The Tunisian group Jeunes Démocrates Indépendants (JID) launched on 15 September 2011 www.ikhtiartounes.org. It informs users about the political parties that are closest to ones expectations and values, ahead of elections for the Constitutional Assembly scheduled on October 23. This historic event in the Arab region is a first step in establishing an open and democratic Tunisia.
The questionnaire was formulated by JID members and a committee of Tunisian experts in law, economics, development, environment and communications. All are politically independent, not running for the Constitutional Assembly - and they are known for their integrity. The questionnaire was subjected to the strict principle of neutrality. The team limited itself to 30 theses that they considered to be most relevant.
Users comment in ikhtiartounes.org to the 30 theses with “Agree”, “Do not agree” or “No opinion”. At the end, the tool presents the political parties that are close to the a user’s opinions. ikhtiartounes.org is inspired by a similar tool introduced in German and European Union parliamentary elections, the Wahlomat and Vote Match.
Why ikhtiartounes.org?
After Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled on 14 January 2011 more than one hundred political parties registered for the planned elections, in addition to hundreds of lists of independents. This is very good news and shows that many Tunisians want to play an active role in shaping their country`s future.
But choosing among 100 and more can be quite confusing. This may lead to some deciding not to vote. One can assume that hardly anyone will be able to read all the political programs of all parties. Adding to the confusion, only a handful of parties are known. This is where ikhtiartounes.org can help.
What is the impact of this project? More interest for political issues, more debates among people and inside parties, less voter abstention.
The questionnaire was sent to all Tunisian parties end of July 2011. We know that the It provoked among many parties debates over issues they did not discuss before. Examples: Should private schools be banned? Should all privatized companies be re-nationalized? Should wealthy regions transfer funds to poorer ones?
In several cases, debates inside parties were heated, numerous party sources told us. Our project basically helped parties formulate positions on issues they sometimes just forgot. It also helped sharpen older positions. ikhtiartounes.org turned out to be party education at its best.
When the website went online on September 15, several parties contacted us the same day and asked in panic to change some of their positions. Thousands of people had started to make the political test and many were outraged about some positions of parties they wanted to vote for. One known progressive party had said in the questionnaire that it was against the separation of state and religion (they had a twisted intellectual rational that only few understood). Their power base freaked out. The party felt the heat, called us and asked to correct their position.
In another case, an Islamist party systematically contradicted itself in many points in iktiartounes.org. In the questionnaire it supported electing a president by the people, but in its official program it opposes this! In the questionnaire it supports “without reservations” international human rights conventions, than it opposes equal rights for women and men in matters of heritage. What is really shocking to the poor power base of this Islamist party is the fact that it clicked “do not agree” under the thesis “Wealthy regions in Tunisia should financially support poorer regions”.
Ikhtiartounes.org helps uncover contradictions and in some cases tears down masks. Tunisians voters are able to scan the level of credibility of all Tunisian parties – the ones they thought they would vote for and the ones they oppose.
I had the privilege to manage that project right from the beginning and coordinate all players. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German international cooperation agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit" (GIZ) and the Berlin-based NGO Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT) in Berlin. GIZ hired me for that mission which started in May and ends in October 2011.
SHUKRAN!
_ Thanks to the team of Jeunes Indépendants Démocrates (JID): Zied Boussen, Jihene Ben Yehia, Youssef Blaiech, Kerim Milli, Cherifa Ben Milad, Ines Abid, Hella Nouri, Myriam Ben Sliman, Skandar Labibdi and the dozens of others JID who are the heart of this project!
_ Thanks to the Tunisian experts who advised and helped: Awatef Mabrouk, Salsabil Klibi, Sana Ben Achour, Aya Khiari, Mounir Majdoub, Kouraich Jaouahdou, Faouzi Belhaj.
_ Thanks to the funder of this project, GIZ, and its team in Tunisia: Carolin Welzel, Marion Geiss, Kirsten Schuettler, Zina Abdellaoui, Astrid Spilker, Rainer Krischel and and and...
_ Thanks to Niccole Choueiry, Dirk Spilker and the team of MICT that made this possible.
_ Thanks to the “Centre Tunis pour les Libertés de la Presse” where we had our press conference today.
_ And, finally, thanks to all my new Tunisian friends who advised me and guided me through this amazing new experience – watching an Arab democracy developing live!
Fouad Hamdan, a former correspondent of the German news agency DPA in Cairo and the Gulf, was the founding executive director of the Arab Human Rights Fund in Beirut in 2008-2010. He set up Greenpeace in Lebanon from 1994-1999. Since January 2011 he has been carrying out democracy-building projects in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
“Ikhtiar” in Arabic means “choice”.
Tunis, 15 Sept 2011 - Launching the site
At the heart of the website is a questionnaire providing the positions of political parties on the main issues debated in Tunisia today – the nature of the future political system, human rights, institutional reforms, economic policies, transitional justice, environment, etc.
The questionnaire was formulated by JID members and a committee of Tunisian experts in law, economics, development, environment and communications. All are politically independent, not running for the Constitutional Assembly - and they are known for their integrity. The questionnaire was subjected to the strict principle of neutrality. The team limited itself to 30 theses that they considered to be most relevant.
Users comment in ikhtiartounes.org to the 30 theses with “Agree”, “Do not agree” or “No opinion”. At the end, the tool presents the political parties that are close to the a user’s opinions. ikhtiartounes.org is inspired by a similar tool introduced in German and European Union parliamentary elections, the Wahlomat and Vote Match.
Why ikhtiartounes.org?
After Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled on 14 January 2011 more than one hundred political parties registered for the planned elections, in addition to hundreds of lists of independents. This is very good news and shows that many Tunisians want to play an active role in shaping their country`s future.
But choosing among 100 and more can be quite confusing. This may lead to some deciding not to vote. One can assume that hardly anyone will be able to read all the political programs of all parties. Adding to the confusion, only a handful of parties are known. This is where ikhtiartounes.org can help.
What is the impact of this project? More interest for political issues, more debates among people and inside parties, less voter abstention.
The questionnaire was sent to all Tunisian parties end of July 2011. We know that the It provoked among many parties debates over issues they did not discuss before. Examples: Should private schools be banned? Should all privatized companies be re-nationalized? Should wealthy regions transfer funds to poorer ones?
In several cases, debates inside parties were heated, numerous party sources told us. Our project basically helped parties formulate positions on issues they sometimes just forgot. It also helped sharpen older positions. ikhtiartounes.org turned out to be party education at its best.
When the website went online on September 15, several parties contacted us the same day and asked in panic to change some of their positions. Thousands of people had started to make the political test and many were outraged about some positions of parties they wanted to vote for. One known progressive party had said in the questionnaire that it was against the separation of state and religion (they had a twisted intellectual rational that only few understood). Their power base freaked out. The party felt the heat, called us and asked to correct their position.
In another case, an Islamist party systematically contradicted itself in many points in iktiartounes.org. In the questionnaire it supported electing a president by the people, but in its official program it opposes this! In the questionnaire it supports “without reservations” international human rights conventions, than it opposes equal rights for women and men in matters of heritage. What is really shocking to the poor power base of this Islamist party is the fact that it clicked “do not agree” under the thesis “Wealthy regions in Tunisia should financially support poorer regions”.
Ikhtiartounes.org helps uncover contradictions and in some cases tears down masks. Tunisians voters are able to scan the level of credibility of all Tunisian parties – the ones they thought they would vote for and the ones they oppose.
Most team members of ikhtiartounes.org - Tunis, 15 Sept 2011
I had the privilege to manage that project right from the beginning and coordinate all players. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the German international cooperation agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit" (GIZ) and the Berlin-based NGO Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT) in Berlin. GIZ hired me for that mission which started in May and ends in October 2011.
SHUKRAN!
_ Thanks to the team of Jeunes Indépendants Démocrates (JID): Zied Boussen, Jihene Ben Yehia, Youssef Blaiech, Kerim Milli, Cherifa Ben Milad, Ines Abid, Hella Nouri, Myriam Ben Sliman, Skandar Labibdi and the dozens of others JID who are the heart of this project!
_ Thanks to the Tunisian experts who advised and helped: Awatef Mabrouk, Salsabil Klibi, Sana Ben Achour, Aya Khiari, Mounir Majdoub, Kouraich Jaouahdou, Faouzi Belhaj.
_ Thanks to the funder of this project, GIZ, and its team in Tunisia: Carolin Welzel, Marion Geiss, Kirsten Schuettler, Zina Abdellaoui, Astrid Spilker, Rainer Krischel and and and...
_ Thanks to Niccole Choueiry, Dirk Spilker and the team of MICT that made this possible.
_ Thanks to the “Centre Tunis pour les Libertés de la Presse” where we had our press conference today.
_ And, finally, thanks to all my new Tunisian friends who advised me and guided me through this amazing new experience – watching an Arab democracy developing live!
Fouad Hamdan, a former correspondent of the German news agency DPA in Cairo and the Gulf, was the founding executive director of the Arab Human Rights Fund in Beirut in 2008-2010. He set up Greenpeace in Lebanon from 1994-1999. Since January 2011 he has been carrying out democracy-building projects in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
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