Tunisia gets another president

[Valin]

The Bellingham Herald/LA Times:

BORZOU DARAGAHI - Los Angeles Times
1/15/11



TUNIS, Tunisia The leadership of this troubled country changed hands for the second time in less than 24 hours Saturday as security forces and ordinary Tunisians struggled to quell mayhem that some have attributed to henchmen loyal to ousted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Fouad Mebazaa, president of the lower house of parliament, was sworn in as chief of state amid fast-moving political developments and chaotic lawlessness that have transformed Tunisia into a symbol of revolution in the Arab world.

Mebazaa, 77, became the national president less than a day after Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia and handed power to his prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, whose appointment sparked new demonstrations and questions about constitutional propriety. Mebazaa promised in a televised speech to consult with all political parties before holding elections within 60 days.
(Snip)

[Valin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d4XAdHQOqM

[AceRimmer]

I'm sure that Obambi will send the same poll watchers from Chicago and Las Vegas who ran such clean elections in the past few years, along with the services of SEIU for snacks and bullying if the Tunisians aren't going to cower in front of a few New Black Panthers.

[Casino67]

A Twitter post by Amb. Rice:

 

@BarackObama urges gov to respect human rights: “no doubt #Tunisia's future will be brighter if guided by voices of the Tunisian people.”

 

LOL, those 'voices' again.

[Valin]

A Twitter post by Amb. Rice:

 

@BarackObama urges gov to respect human rights: “no doubt #Tunisia's future will be brighter if guided by voices of the Tunisian people.”

 

LOL, those 'voices' again.

 

 

 

 

 

People are surprised at what's going on in Tunisia, the question is why are they.

[ErnstBlofeld]

Do you know how this mess in Tunisia started? It started with a Wikileak cable from the State Department listing the abuses the Tunisian president was engaging. One cable was that the Tunisian president was importing ice cream and living in a lavish palace. They ex-president was in office for 22 years.

[Valin]

Do you know how this mess in Tunisia started? It started with a Wikileak cable from the State Department listing the abuses the Tunisian president was engaging. One cable was that the Tunisian president was importing ice cream and living in a lavish palace. They ex-president was in office for 22 years.

 

LobeLog: Debunking the Myth of Tunisia’s “Social Media Revolution”

Aprille Muscara

1/15/11

 

I see that the blogosphere has pounced all over #SidiBouZid and all that it implies (here’s a great round-up — the comments section are also worth a read). So let’s jump in.

 

From Jeff Neumann at Gawker:

 

We should stop trying to fit the events in Tunisia into a Western context. It simplifies things, but it also overlooks the real forces of change at work in the North African country. This isn’t about Facebook, or Wikileaks, or Twitter — it’s about the people of Tunisia being fed up with decades of marginalization at the hands of a Western-backed kleptocracy, and taking charge of their own future. Among the issues that brought about the events of the last month: Low wages, few job prospects for a growing educated class, high food prices, and a heavy-handed government lead by former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Did social media have an effect on events in Tunisia? Undoubtedly, yes. Is this a social media revolution? Absolutely not.

 

(Snip)

 

The rest is a bit long but worth the time spent.