Page last updated on February 12, 2013
Country name:
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form:
Tunisia
local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form:
Tunis
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tunis
geographic coordinates:
36 48 N, 10 11 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
24 governorates (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 20 March (1956); Revolution and Youth Day, 14 January (2011)
Constitution:
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002; note - the Constituent Assembly formed in October 2011 following the country's political revolution was charged with writing a new constitution
Legal system:
mixed legal system of civil law, based on the French civil code, and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
Executive branch:
note: Tunisia's interim government was appointed in December 2011 and will remain in power pending drafting of a new constitution and holding of general elections in 2013
chief of state:
Interim President Moncef MARZOUKI (since 12 December 2011)
head of government:
Prime Minister Hamadi JEBALI (since 14 December 2011)
cabinet:
Prime Minister JEBALI was asked to form a new government on 14 December 2011
elections:
president elected by Constituent Assembly; election last held on 12 December 2011(next to be held in 2013); prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
President MARZOUKI elected by Constituent Assembly with 153 of 156 votes
Legislative branch:
unicameral Constituent Assembly (217 seats); note - it is unclear as to the legislative role of the Constituent Assembly
elections:
initial election of 217 Constituent Assembly members held on 23 October 2011 (next to be held in 2013)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al-Nahda 89, CPR 29, Popular Petition 26, FDTL 20, PDP 16, PDM 5, The Initiative 5, Afek Tounes 4, PCOT 3, other minor parties each with fewer than three seats 20
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Afek Tounes [Emna MINF]; Alliance for Tunisia (a coalition of Tunisia's Call [Beji Caid ESSEBSI], Republicsn Party {Maya JRIBI and Najib CHBBI],Democratic Path [Ahmed BRAHIM]); al-Nahda (The Renaissance) [Rachid GHANNOUCHI]; Congress Party for the Republic or CPR [Moncef MARZOUKI]; Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL (Ettakatol) [Mustapha Ben JAAFAR]; Democratic Modernist Pole or PDM (a coalition); Democratic Socialist Movement or MDS; Et-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Petition (Aridha Chaabia) [Hachemi HAMDI]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party or PDP [Maya JERIBI]; The Initiative [Kamel MORJANE] (formerly the Constitutional Democratic Rally or RCD); Tunisian Workers' Communist Party or PCOT [Hamma HAMMAMI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), CD, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Tarek AMRI
chancery:
1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
[1] (202) 862-1850
FAX:
[1] (202) 862-1858
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jacob WALLES
embassy:
Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[216] 71 107-000
FAX:
[216] 71 963-263
Flag description:
red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; resembles the Ottoman flag (red banner with white crescent and star) and recalls Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire; red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam
note:
the flag is based on that of Turkey, itself a successor state to the Ottoman Empire
National symbol(s):
encircled red star and crescent
National anthem:
name: "Humat Al Hima" (Defenders of the Homeland)
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