Abstract
In December 2010 began what is called "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia. The term 'Jasmine' is much criticized in the press and is not unanimous: in fact, the term "Jasmine" was used when Ben Ali took power and the term evokes sweetness, this contrasts with the destruction and pillage the country has witnessed. Thus, many Tunisians prefer to speak of the Tunisian revolution rather than the Jasmine revolution. This revolution lasted four weeks and came to and end in January 2011 with the fall of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, since 1987. This revolution, considered non-violent, put an end to the dictatorship of Tunisia that Ben Ali had established. For four weeks, ongoing demonstrations took place, they extended throughout the country despite the repression, and these demonstrations were amplified by a general strike, leading to the flight of Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011 . So we are dealing with a country in transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, a hope that Tunisians and the international community in general have nurtured for long. We will look at the dictator Ben Ali, his party, and the repression in the country. We will try to analyze the social, economic and repressive features of this dictatorship. Finally, we will look at this transition, the new elections, the new political parties and the the new challenges facing Tunisia.
First of all, it is important to remember how Ben Ali came to power in Tunisia in May 1987; Ben Ali became interior minister and then he became Prime Minister. The same year he took the place of President Habib Bourguiba, who was old and sick, with a medical report and based on an article of the Constitution. Ben Ali took over the leading Destourian Socialist Party, then strengthened the cohesion of it and turned it into the Constitutional Democratic Rally. This political party was the hegemonic party throughout the period during which Ben Ali was in power.
