Source: Tunisia Live
Currently, Tunisian women hold 49 out of the 217 seats making up the country’s Constituent Assembly (CA). While they only comprise a minority within the governing body, women have begun to play an evolving role in post-revolutionary Tunisian politics. As they navigate the interim power structure, there have been signs of female solidarity within the Assembly.
In March, Vice President of the CAMeherzia Labidi proposed that the body form an internal women’s committee. The committee never fully surfaced, but the proposal of its formation is an example of female CA members’ willingness to collaborate across party and ideological lines.
“We defend different issues, but we support each other across the board when discussing women’s issues,” explained Yamina Zoghlamia of Tunisia’s Ennahdha party. She added that the idea to form a women’s committee is still up for debate and will perhaps come to fruition in the future.
Rabia Najlaoui of the the Popular Petition Party was hesitant about the idea of forming a coalition, saying that age and ideological differences prevented strong organization. She did not fully discredit the notion, however, and expressed that younger members in the CA have the most potential to collaborate across party lines.
Even in the absence of an official women’s committee or grouping within the CA, Assembly Member Amiria Marzouk of Al Moubadara said that female CA members work together effectively and that, “The constitution will show collaboration [among women] to give women their rights.”
As they work towards increased parity in Tunisian politics, many women in the CA feel that they have begun to informally forge connections with their fellow assembly members to ensure effective female leadership. While these unofficial coalitions have not yet achieved full consensus, the focus on ensuring women’s rights in post-revolutionary Tunisia remains a powerful motivator.
Despite the slow growth of an official female-centered organization in the CA, it is clear that for many female CA members, ensuring the rights of women forms the basis of inter-party cohesion. In the words of Lobna Jeribi of Ettatakol, the work of female CA members is “dynamic, marked by strong relations.”