‘It is the moment that will always remain in my mind,’ says Hanen Othmani.The 38-year-old is mayor of the Menzel Salem municipality in Kef Governorate, north-western Tunisia. She has mixed feelings when she thinks of the 2010/11 revolution. She feels liberated, yet worries about the future. That was the time when Tunisians from all parts of the country took to the streets and with mass nationwide protests sparked what came to be known as the Arab Spring.The uprising, which can be traced back to high unemployment and oppression of civil society, among other things, forced the dictator Ben Ali to step down. Since then, Tunisia has been taking steps towards democracy. Important stages have been the first free presidential and parliamentary elections, including a new constitution, in 2014, and the first municipal elections, held in May 2018. However, in the structurally weak interior regions, in particular, the democratic transition has had little impact. Transparency, citizen-orientation and opportunities for participation are still lacking at local level.
On behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and under the special initiative designed to stabilise and promote development in North Africa and the Middle East, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been supporting Tunisia’s municipalities since 2015 in adopting a more citizen-friendly, transparent and service-oriented approach. GIZ promotes the modernisation of the administration, provides relevant training for personnel, and advises youth and women’s organisations.The measures will help boost public confidence in government institutions, which in turn will strengthen the political system.
