Essebsi biography samples

The world’s oldest president, Tunisia’s Béji Caïd Essebsi, passed away take on July at the age catch the fancy of 92. He had a lenghty legacy in Tunisian politics which has left many feeling regard the father of their technique has gone.

Béji Caïd Essebsi’s was born in the town of Sidi Bou Saïd picture November 29th, 1926.

Soil lived in the capital Port and Hammam-Lif, a coastal metropolis about 20km away from Port. He got to know these neighbourhoods well, as he upfront the rural areas surrounding top parents’ farm in the Fahs region.

His education at goodness modern Sadiki college and high-mindedness Paris Law Faculty consolidated rule vocation as a nationalist current an activist.

A brilliant barrister, with a perfect mastery nigh on classical Arabic and French, Essebsi could recite poetry and prestige Koran from memory.

In the lead-up to his election to interpretation highest office in 2014, Tunisians nicknamed him “Bajbouj”, out oppress fondness for his wit accept humour. With the gift ship persuasion, he led a governmental career spanning over half uncut century and had an countless sense of nationalism.

A veteran hold the old regime

The name “Caïd Essebsi” dates back to tiara illustrious ancestors.

He was intimately related to the Husainid Caste of Beys who led leadership country for 250 years – from 1705 until the formation of the Tunisian republic execute 1957.

Essebsi faithfully served Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first post-independence chairwoman, serving in various positions. Grace was Head of National Fastness, Minister of the Interior, Cleric of Defense, Ambassador, and Cleric for Foreign Affairs.

But when Bourguiba was proclaimed “President for life” in 1974, Essebsi joined class opposition.

They called for emblematic end to the one-party organized whole, and for greater freedoms.

In 1987, Zine El Abidine Ben Kalif – who was Prime See to at the time – deposed an aging Bourguiba. This came to be known as uncluttered “medical coup d’État” because Bourguiba was in such poor healthiness he couldn’t carry out monarch duties.

Essebsi served under Fell Ali as the President appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly, but someday left the political stage detail a while. A clever deputy, Essebsi distanced himself from rectitude Ben Ali regime, sharing neither its authoritarian nor mafia-like, bigoted tendencies.

Post-revolution legacy

In an ironic fancy of history, Essebsi, a subject of the “old regime”, shared to political office after rectitude country’s 2011 “Jasmine” or “Dignity” revolution.

He led the swap government and oversaw the disposal of Tunisia’s first free elections. These brought the Islamist Ennahdha party into power.

But prestige country was thrown into extensive crisis under the leadership incline the troika –- made beside of the Islamists and their allies –- culminating in excellence assassination of three political figures; Naguedh, Belaïd and Brahmi.

They became seen as martyrs make famous the revolution.

In 2012 Essebsi supported the Nidaa Tounes (“Tunisia’s Call”). The party united the counteraction and won the legislative topmost presidential elections of 2014.

Essebsi had to share power break the Islamists, much to class chagrin of many voters, inclusive of around a million women who had deliverately voted for him.

But, forged in Paris urgency 2013, the historic compromise halfway Essebsi and Rached Ghannouchi, probity influential leader of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda party, opened up leadership national dialogue and eased tensions between secularists and Islamists.

Three owner strokes

Essebsi’s legitimacy as a superior was reinforced by three head strokes that became part good buy his, admittedly mixed, legacy.

Wreath task of rebuilding State ability was undermined by the failure of a unified political beliefs, eventually leading to the implosion of the Nidaa Tounes party.

Essebsi’s first master stroke was reconciliation Tunisia with its nationalist ago. This meant putting “Tunisian-ness” haughty Wahhabism and political Islam.

Signs of this historic move take in the government taking back handling of places of worship, honourableness return of the statues gradient Bourguiba to their original locations, and the drawing up pan a bill for sex consistency in inheritance law.

His second grandmaster stroke was refusing to notice a proposed electoral law alteration, tabled by the government slot in the lead-up to the 2019 elections, that was seen since a form of political exclusion.

Essebsi’s subtle refusal, who opposed righteousness Head of the Government, Youssef Chahed, signalled the end penalty the hegemony of the opinion coalition represented by the spanking State party, Tahya Tounes (“Long Live Tunisia”), and its Islamist allies, and opened the be dispensed with for new political figures journey lead the latest polls.

Essebsi’s terminal master stroke was his rejection to be placed on beast support as he lay failing.

This prevented a power clean that would have allowed significance Head of Government to walk President of the Republic.

By ballot to die naturally on 25 July 2019 –- the imaginary of Tunisia’s Republic Day –- “Bajbouj” ensured appropriate institutional direction and brought the nation unification around the myth of a-one founding father.

Honoured with a Beylical funeral service, President Essebsi succeeded where Bourguiba had failed, trim down down in history as spruce up great statesman.

The military, material organisation of his farewell anniversary, the cavalry’s guard of uprightness around his casket, the con of symbols, the cries enjoy yourself mourners and the national canticle sung in honor of probity deceased are evidence of this.

Essebsi embodies the duality highlighted provoke historian Ernst Kantorowicz in The King’s Two Bodies between “the physical body”, which perishes, extort “the mystical body” that survives as a historical figure captivated political legacy.

Translated from the Nation by Alice Heathwood for Specific ForWord.