By Ruby Amatulla, 12 June 2014
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<p>On January 26, 2014, the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia voted overwhelmingly [200 out of 217] to approve the most liberal democratic constitution in the Middle East. The constitution protects civil liberties, establishes separation of powers and proper checks and balances, and guarantees gender equality in socio-political processes. Paradoxically enough, the dominant group in the Assembly consists of Islamists.</p><p><br>The charter is an outcome of a long-protracted process of negotiation, consensus and trust-building between Islamists and secularists. A Turkish New York Times columnist, Mustafa Akyol, recently stated that Tunisia can be a role model for Turkey -- even though Turkey is a sixty-year-old democracy.</p>
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The Daily Star
