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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING PRESIDENT MOHAMED BEJI CAID ESSEBSI
______
HON. BILL FLORES
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 20, 2019
Mr. FLORES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mohamed Beji Caid
Essebsi, the first democratically elected president of Tunisia, who
passed away on July 25, 2019.
President Caid Essebsi was born November 29, 1926, in Sidi Bou Said,
Tunisia. In 1950 he went to study law in Paris, France, and when he
returned, he joined the independence movement led by future President
Habib Bourguiba. Following Tunisia's independence from France in 1956,
he served as Bourguiba's adviser and in his cabinet from 1957 to 1951.
His posts included Chief of Regional Administration, Interior Minister,
Defense Minister, and Ambassador to France.
Ten years after being sidelined for advocating for democratization,
President Caid Essebsi returned to public service in 1981, serving as
Minister of Foreign Affairs until 1986. In 1987, Prime Minister Zine el
Abidine Ben Ali staged a bloodless coup against President Bourguiba.
Under the new regime, President Caid Essebsi was appointed as
Ambassador to Germany. He later returned to serve from 1990 to 1991 as
the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the former lower chamber of
the Tunisian parliament.
In 2010, the citizens of Tunisia took part in a campaign of civil
resistance against President Ben Ali. Their demonstrations against high
unemployment, food inflation, and lack of political freedom led to the
eventual ouster of President Ben Ali. The Tunisian people's
revolutionary success sparked a wave of protests and government
overthrows across the Middle East, resulting in the Arab Spring. In the
aftermath of their success, Tunisians were in need of leadership while
trying to form a new and democratic form of government. In early 2011,
acting President Fouad Mebazaa appointed President Caid Essebsi, after
almost 20 years of private life, as the new Prime Minister for his
record of patriotism, loyalty, and commitment to democracy.
In 2011, following elections for the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia,
the body charged with writing a new constitution, President Caid
Essebsi left office. As the country's new constitution was being
written, President Caid Essebsi founded a new political party named
``Nidaa Tounes'' which translates to ``Tunisia's Call.'' He founded
this party as a democracy-oriented alternative to the lslamist Ennahda
party which had recently taken power.
In early 2014, the country's new constitution was passed and
ratified; followed by elections to form a new system of government.
Parliamentary elections were held in October of that year and Nidaa
Tounes won a plurality of the seats. The next month, President Caid
Essebsi was elected as President of Tunisia in the country's first free
and fair elections. During his presidency, he supported a secular
society and legislation that promoted women's rights.
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting President Caid Essebsi on a
House Democracy Partnership trip to Tunisia to promote their continuing
democratic progress. I enjoyed his company and was saddened to hear of
his passing. It is my fervent hope that in the upcoming elections to
replace him, Tunisia continues to build upon the democratic processes
that he so strongly supported.
Madam Speaker, President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi's life was defined
by his service to his country. He will be forever remembered as a
husband, a father, a selfless public servant, a champion for democracy,
and a friend.
My wife, Gina, and I offer our deepest and heartfelt condolences to
the Caid Essebsi family. We also lift up the family and friends of
President Caid Essebsi in our prayers.
As I close today, I urge all Americans to continue praying for our
country, for our veterans, for our military men and women who protect
us, and for our first responders who keep us safe at home.
