Tunis: Tunisia is celebrating the 69th anniversary of Republic Day, a decisive milestone in the history of the country, which brought an end to the monarchy and laid the foundations for the republican system. This date marks one of the most significant turning points in Tunisia's history and invites reflection on the challenges of the present and the future.
According to Agence Tunis Afrique Presse, the proclamation of the Republic was not merely a change in the form of government, but the starting point for major reforms covering state institutions, the civil service, the judiciary, and education, alongside the enactment of the Personal Status Code and the strengthening of the state's central role.
The Republic was proclaimed on July 25, 1957, sixteen months after Tunisia gained independence on March 20, 1956, when the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly voted unanimously to abolish the monarchy. It proclaimed the Tunisian Republic and elected Habib Bourguiba as its first president. This marked the end of the Husseinid state under the reign of the last bey, Lamine Bey, who had ruled the country since 1705.
In this context, writer, researcher, and historian specializing in the contemporary history of Tunisia Mohamed Dhouib told TAP that the signing of this decision by the President of the National Constituent Assembly Jalouli Fares, had marked a definitive break with the era of the beys, whose power was purely symbolic under French protection and who had lost much of their authority after 75 years of French colonization. This decision had cemented the "dominance" of the Free Destourian Party in political life and state institutions. As such, the Republic was declared amidst an imbalance of power in favor of the party that had led the struggle for national liberation, and saw the emergence of Habib Bourguiba as leader and commander.
Sixty-nine years after the Republic was declared, this event remains one of the most significant founding milestones of the modern Tunisian state. Throughout these seven decades, Tunisia has undergone successive political and constitutional transformations that have reflected the evolution of the state and society, from the 1959 Constitution to that of 2014, then of 2022, amidst internal, regional, and international changes.
Following the revolution of January 14, 2011, debates arose regarding the nature of the political system and the limits of the separation of powers. Questions were also raised regarding the identity of the state and the future of the republican system. Fay§al Cherif, a professor and academic researcher specializing in contemporary history, told TAP that the establishment of the Republic in 1957 had been a decisive event in Tunisia's contemporary history, as it was the result of the efforts of Habib Bourguiba and the Tunisian elite educated at the Sadiki School and in the West.
Calls made after the revolution for a revival of the idea of a constitutional monarchy, modeled on certain European examples, had not translated into a political or societal choice, insofar as a return to the monarchy remains irrelevant in the Tunisian context. Despite the difficulties that have marked the democratic journey, the Republic has remained the bedrock of the Tunisian state and the political model to which Tunisians remain deeply attached. They perceive it as the foundation of the modern state and envisage neither an alternative nor a return to the monarchy.
These reflections did not lead to any questioning of the republican choice on which the State has been founded since 1957, and the adoption of the 2022 Constitution settled this debate more clearly, as the Constitution enshrined the republican system as the foundation of the Tunisian State. The debate is no longer about the nature of the system, but about how to develop the Republic's institutions and strengthen their effectiveness, so as to meet citizens' aspirations and tackle economic and social challenges.
The 69th anniversary of the Republic Day is of particular significance, as Tunisia continues to establish its constitutional institutions and launches reform projects aimed at fostering more equal development, strengthening national sovereignty, and improving economic and administrative performance. This commemoration also coincides with the start of the implementation of the development plan 2026-2030, which is the first development plan drawn up under the 2022 Constitution, based on a bottom-up approach starting at local and regional levels and extending to the national level, making it the reference framework for the State's public policies and economic and social decisions for the next five years.
It aims to improve human and regional development indicators, strengthen food, water, and energy sovereignty, support economic development and employment, boost investment, and modernize administration and governance. Although the Declaration of the Republic settled the question of the form of the State and the political system as far back as 1957, the challenge today is to improve the effectiveness of its institutions, achieve comprehensive and sustainable development, establish social justice and strengthen trust between citizens and the State, amidst international changes and current challenges.