2009 4

Algerians Vote In Tunisia

First on the list is Algeria, which is scheduled to hold a presidential vote a few days from now on April 9th. After nearly a decade of an atrocious civil war that broke out in 1992 after the country’s secular general intervened to stop an Islamic fundamentalist party from winning the democratically held national elections. Over 200,000 Algerians were killed in that war, often in brutal fashion by the Islamists.

Tunisian president calls criticism “unbecoming”

During his address to the nation on the anniversary of Tunisia’s independence on March 20, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali did not hesitate to reject critical journalism and the right of journalists to cover corruption or mistakes by the government. As customary, local groups concerned with press freedom, including the Tunisian Observatory for Press Freedom and the Tunisian Journalists’ Syndicate, hesitated

Tunisia: Yes, they can. No, we can’t!

The week of the US election coincided with the 21st anniversary of ‘change’ in Tunisia. But while Americans went to the polls to elect their 44th president, in its 50 years of independence, Tunisia has had just two presidents. Tunisian bloggers mark Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s 21st year as president with a call for change.