Political scientist: Arabs can learn democracy from Tunisia

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The elected assembly is to rewrite the constitution after two decades under toppled ruler Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Nada Hashwi, a political scientist in Beirut, to further discuss the issue.

Following is the script of the interview:

Press TV: A historic day for Tunisians. How significant is this development for the Arab world who are used to having life-long kings and presidents?

Hashwi: First of all, let me congratulate the Tunisian people for their Jasmine Revolution that led to this tremendously democratic day. It is beautiful; it is wonderful. As we see, the Tunisian people are really happy. This is the first time for some of them even voting. So it is a tremendous happiness in the air and what we saw as well, I believe that the Ennahda Party is probably going to win.

I believe that there is more than 70 percent right now of the voters that have voted already. But it is a bit too early now to know exactly where the political views of this whole situation is going at but definitely it is for sure we know that Ennahda Party are really fund of the Turkish way of ruling the country which is the ruling party there.

So I believe they want to turn it somehow like Turkey which the Tunisians know already about that and I think they are quite ok with what is happening.

Press TV: How do you evaluate the high-turnout which is about 70 percent? Did you expect this massive turnout?

Hashwi: Actually no, I am not surprised because, you see, the people were so suppressed; they were just tremendously under a lot of pressure and they were afraid from being prosecuted and like what your correspondent said before.

So I am not surprised at all and I believe that there is more people; it is 4 o'clock right now in Tunisia; I believe more people will come in. They want the change. You see, Tunis has changed and will never go back to what it used to be; the people had said what they want and I believe if things turn now not the way that they want, they will definitely have a say about it.

Press TV: Now what about in the scheme of everything that is happening in the Arab world, how significant is what is happening in Tunisia today as far as going to elections and how could be play a role perhaps in the other Arab awakening countries?

Hashwi: I believe they should take it as their role model, as they took it as their role model from the beginning when the Jasmine Revolution started. Everything is going so far as smooth as possible and actually there were some scaring voices saying that things might happen from the killing or things like that.

As far as we know, nothing happened; people are very happy; everything is going smoothly. So I believe the other surrounding countries want this change and want to take it as a role model and do exactly what they have been doing because there is nothing like feeling free and happy.

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