Tunisia Defeat of the Supreme Combatant

By Michael S. Serrill

| Shortly after sunrise last Saturday, Tunisians flipping on their radios heard startling news. The regime of Habib Bourguiba, ruler of Tunisia since the country gained its independence from France in 1956 and President-for-Life since 1975, had come to an abrupt end. After carrying out a bloodless takeover in the predawn hours, Prime Minister Zine al Abidine ben Ali took to the airwaves at 6:30 to declare that Bourguiba, 84, had been ousted. Citing a constitutional provision allowing the President to be removed if he is incapacitated, the Prime Minister claimed that a team of seven doctors had examined Bourguiba, who suffers from arteriosclerosis and Parkinson's disease, and found him unfit to govern.

As Ben Ali was speaking, security forces surrounded the bleached white presidential palace next to the ancient ruins of Carthage. Though there were rumors that Bourguiba had been spirited out of the capital, officials insisted he remained cloistered in the palace. However, two Cabinet ministers were arrested, and some of the President's closest associates, including his powerful niece Saida Sassi and his son Habib Bourguiba Jr., were said to be under house arrest. No violence or resistance to the coup was reported.

Ben Ali, 51, is best known to Tunisians as the Interior Minister who led this year's crackdown on Islamic fundamentalists, which resulted in more than 2,000 arrests. In September seven militants were sentenced to death and 69 to jail terms for trying to overthrow Bourguiba's regime. In early October Ben Ali, a former army general, was named Prime Minister in what was regarded as a signal that the tough stance would continue.

Despite his reputation as a hard-liner, the new President immediately set a moderate tone. In his radio broadcast Ben Ali stressed the need for democratic reform, saying, "The age in which we live can no longer permit either presidency for life nor automatic succession as head of state. Our people are worthy of a developed and institutionalized political life." He pledged to eliminate "favoritism" in the political system, which is dominated by the ruling Destourian Socialist Party.

Bourguiba's ouster was a sad finish to a remarkable career. He led his country to independence without the bloodshed that accompanied the French withdrawal from neighboring Algeria. Deeply pro-Western, he succeeded in transforming Tunisia from an underdeveloped backwater into one of the most prosperous nations in Africa. But in recent years the "supreme combatant," $ as he was known, had become increasingly impulsive and autocratic. Amid a worsening economic crisis, he refused to take steps to ensure an orderly transition, despite his deteriorating health. He banned opposition parties and dissolved trade unions. Last year he divorced his wife of 24 years, Wassila, and sacked his longtime Prime Minister, Mohammed Mzali. He constantly reshuffled his government, dismissing aides and then reversing himself.

Schooled as an electrical engineer, Ben Ali received military training in France and in the U.S. Director of military security from 1958 to 1974, he became Interior Minister in 1986. According to Western diplomats, Ben Ali shrewdly avoided becoming a victim of Bourguiba's purges by convincing the President of his loyalty. "He managed to cultivate that 'I am your son' image," said one diplomat. Starting last summer, Ben Ali gave speeches to the party faithful in an attempt to build support and shed his reputation as a military man.

As pro-Western as Bourguiba, Ben Ali may discover that his promise to restore political freedoms will be difficult to keep. His main challenge will be Islamic fundamentalism, the chief opposition movement in the country. Ben Ali displayed sound judgment when he reportedly intervened to prevent mass executions of the militants convicted in September. "He recognizes the danger of going too far," said one Western diplomat. An acknowledgment of limits will be an asset if Ben Ali is to succeed as the second President of the troubled North African nation.

With reporting by Scott MacLeod/Cairo