Unity–Consensus–Reconciliation: The Substance of Tunisia’s Elite Compromise—An Analysis of Post-Revolutionary Metaphors

Abstract

Tunisian democracy is a young, fragile construct which lacks the necessary fundaments and anchorage in concrete policy areas. Furthermore, Tunisia has recently been ruled by emergency decree due to an acute national security threat posed by terrorism, with the President, Beji Caid Essebsi, explicitly referring to a “state of crisis”. As a possible road-map for managing this crisis, Essebsi called for the formation of a “government of national unity” (Hukuma Wahda wataniya), which was finally formalized on July 13, 2016, in the Carthage Agreement (Itifaq Qartage). In fact, the pre-history of this initiative is to be found in numerous discussions between Tunisia’s two biggest elected parties: Nidaa Tounes and Ennahda. Similarly, the path for these discussions was first laid during informal talks between Essebsi and Ennahda’s party chairman, Rached Ghannouchi. This chapter takes the position that the principal result of these negotiations has been the creation of a new Tunisian political order, and that the Tunisian transformation processes that began in 2010/2011 have given rise to a “post-authoritarian culture”. In what follows, this culture will be characterized as an “elite compromise” (Itifaq al nukhba) between different segments of the political elite. This is essentially a specific (and continuing) format for power sharing, one dominated by a growing closeness between the two separate party structures and functionaries of Nidaa Tounes and Ennahda. The political actors involved have developed overarching narratives characterized by three metaphorical leitmotifs in order to justify and give direction to their compromise: they emphasize national unity (Wahda wataniya), national consensus (Ijmaa’ watani), and national reconciliation (Al Mussalaha al wataniya).