Tunisia is about to pass a fairly moderate constitution. It's a giant leap forward for the region.
The New York Times reports:
"Two years in the making and now in its third draft, the charter is a carefully worded blend of ideas that has won the support of both Ennahda, the Islamist party that leads the interim government, and the secular opposition. It is being hailed as one of the most liberal constitutions in an Arab nation."
The support from the Islamists didn't come easy though:
"It was partly the crisis in Egypt — including the overthrow last summer of the Islamist government of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first popularly elected leader — that prompted Ennahda to make important concessions and seek consensus on the new Tunisian Constitution. The assassination on July 25 of a left-wing politician, Mohamed Brahmi, in Tunis — the second political assassination in the country in six months — drew a sharp public reaction, weakening the Islamists."
The New York Times reports:
"Two years in the making and now in its third draft, the charter is a carefully worded blend of ideas that has won the support of both Ennahda, the Islamist party that leads the interim government, and the secular opposition. It is being hailed as one of the most liberal constitutions in an Arab nation."
The support from the Islamists didn't come easy though:
"It was partly the crisis in Egypt — including the overthrow last summer of the Islamist government of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first popularly elected leader — that prompted Ennahda to make important concessions and seek consensus on the new Tunisian Constitution. The assassination on July 25 of a left-wing politician, Mohamed Brahmi, in Tunis — the second political assassination in the country in six months — drew a sharp public reaction, weakening the Islamists."