I’ve spent the last week in Tunis, which has been exhilarating for me, and I think for most Tunisians who have just held the first truly free election in their country's history. The results — a large plurality for the moderate Islamist Nahda Party — are also reassuring, and not just because Nahda says it is committed to pluralism and individual liberties. It is also because secular parties, while divided into three or four major blocs, have also done well enough to counter any temptation Nahda might have to impose itself.
There remains much work ahead for the constituent assembly that has just been elected, including building a more solid transition process, holding members of the former regime accountable and, of course, writing a constitution that reflects Tunisians' desire for democracy and the rule of law. But others — and most notably Egyptians — can learn from the Tunisian process thus far.
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