Moncef Marzouki
Moncef Marzouki المنصف المرزوقي " | |
|---|---|
 | |
4th President of Tunisia | |
In office 13 December 2011 – 31 December 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Beji Caid Essebsi Hamadi Jebali Ali Laarayedh Mehdi Jomaa |
| Preceded by | Fouad Mebazaa 4th President of Tunisia |
| Succeeded by | Beji Caid Essebsi |
| Member of the Constituent Assembly for Nabeul's 2nd district | |
In office 22 November 2011 – 13 December 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Samia Abbou |
| President of the Congress for the Republic | |
In office 24 July 2001 – 13 December 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abderraouf Ayadi (Acting) |
| President of the Tunisian Human Rights League | |
In office 12 March 1989 – 5 February 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Charfi |
| Succeeded by | Taoufik Bouderbala |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1945-07-07) 7 July 1945 Grombalia, Tunisia |
| Political party | Congress for the Republic then Al-Irada |
| Spouse(s) | Beatrix Rhein |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Strasbourg |
| Website | Official website |
Mohamed Moncef Marzouki (Arabic: محمد المنصف المرزوقي; Muhammad al-Munṣif al-Marzūqī, born 7 July 1945) is a Tunisian politician who was President of Tunisia from 2011[1][2][3] to 2014. Through his career he has been a human rights activist, physician and politician. On 12 December 2011, he was elected as President of Tunisia by the Constituent Assembly.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Political career
2.1 President of Tunisia
3 Post-presidency
4 Personal life
5 Decorations
5.1 Tunisian National Honours
5.2 Foreign Honors
6 Distinctions and awards
7 Published works
8 References
9 External links
Early life
Born in Grombalia, Tunisia, Marzouki was the son of a Qadi. His father, being a supporter of Salah Ben Youssef (Bourguiba's opponent), emigrated to Morocco in the late 1950s because of political pressures.[4] Marzouki finished his secondary education in Tangier, where he obtained the Baccalauréat in 1961.[4] He then went to study medicine at the University of Strasbourg in France. Returning to Tunisia in 1979, he founded the Center for Community Medicine in Sousse and the African Network for Prevention of Child Abuse, also joining Tunisian League for Human Rights.[5] In his youth, he had travelled to India to study Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent resistance.[6] Later, he also travelled to South Africa to study its transition from apartheid.[7]
Political career
Marzouki Marzouki giving an interview, Tunis 1990.
When the government cracked down violently on the Islamist Ennahda Movement in 1991, Marzouki confronted Tunisian President Ben Ali calling on him to adhere to the law.[7] In 1993, Marzouki was a founding member of the National Committee for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience, but he resigned after it was taken over by supporters of the government. He was arrested on several occasions on charges relating to the propagation of false news and working with banned Islamist groups. He subsequently founded the National Committee for Liberties. He became President[5] of the Arab Commission for Human Rights and as of 17 January 2011[ref] continues as a member of its executive board.[8]
In 2001, he founded the Congress for the Republic.[9][10] This political party was banned in 2002, but Marzouki moved to France and continued running it.[5]
Following President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's departure from Tunisia and the Tunisian revolution, Marzouki announced his return to Tunisia and his intention to run for the presidency.[5]
President of Tunisia
Moncef Marzouki, President of the Republic, Mustapha Ben Jaafar, President of the Constituent Assembly & Ali Larayedh, Head of Government, Le Bardo, January 27, 2014.
On 12 December 2011, the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, a body elected to govern the country and draft a new constitution, elected Marzouki as the interim President of the Tunisian Republic, with 155 votes for, 3 against, and 42 blank votes.[11][12] Blank votes were the result of a boycott from the opposition parties, who considered the new mini-constitution of the country an undemocratic one.
On 14 December, one day after his accession to office, he appointed Hamadi Jebali of the moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement as Prime Minister.[13] Jebali presented his government on 20 December.[14]
On 3 May 2012, Nessma TV owner Nabil Karoui and two others were convicted of "blasphemy" and "disturbing public order". The charges stemmed from the network's decision to broadcast a dubbed version of the 2007 Franco-Iranian film Persepolis, which includes several visual depictions of God. Karoui was fined 2,400 dinars for the broadcast, while the station's programming director and the president of the women's organization which provided dubbing for the film were fined 1,200 dinars.[15] Responding to the verdict, Marzouki stated to members of the press in the presidential palace in Tunis, "I think this verdict is bad for the image of Tunisia. Now people in the rest of the world will only be talking about this when they talk about Tunisia."[16]
As President, Marzouki played a leading role in establishing Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission in 2014, as a key part of creating a national reconciliation.[17]
Marzouki with U.S Secretary of State John Kerry, Carthage Palace, 2014.
In March 2014, President Marzouki lifted the state of emergency that had been in place since the outbreak of the 2011 revolution, and a top military chief said soldiers stationed in some of the country's most sensitive areas would return to their barracks. The decree from President Marzouki said the state of emergency ordered in January 2011 is lifted across the country immediately. The state of emergency was imposed by longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and maintained after he was overthrown. It was repeatedly renewed.[18]
In April 2014, he cut his pay by two-thirds, citing the state's need to be a model in dealing with the deteriorating financial situation.[19]
Marzouki was defeated by Beji Caid Essebsi in the November–December 2014 presidential election, and Essebsi was sworn in as President on 31 December 2014, succeeding Marzouki.[20]
Post-presidency
On 25 June 2015, Marzouki participated in the Freedom Flotilla III to the Gaza Strip. On 29 June, during their approach to the territorial waters of Gaza, but while still in international waters, the flotilla intercepted by the Israeli army, then they were taken to the port of Ashdod, where they were interviewed. Marzouki was greeted by a delegation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, but he declined to discuss with them. On 30 June, he was deported to Paris, returning to Tunis on 1 July, where he was greeted by hundreds of supporters.[21] On 2016, he is appointed by the African Union to oversee the Comorian presidential election.[22]
Personal life
From a first marriage, Moncef Marzouki has two daughters: Myriam and Nadia. In December 2011, during a private civil ceremony in Carthage Palace, he married Beatrix Rhein, a French physician.[23]
Decorations
Tunisian National Honours
Marzouki during his speech just after receiving the Chatham House Award, London, 2012.
:
- Grand Collar of the Order of Independence (automatic when taking office)
- Grand Collar of the Order of the Republic (automatic when taking office)
- Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit (automatic when taking office)
Foreign Honors
France : Commandeur of the Legion of Honour (4 July 2013)
Morocco : Special Class of the Order of Muhammad (31 May 2014)
Egypt : Grand Cross of the Golden Lion of Alexandria (6 June 2014)
Niger : Grand Cross of the Order of the Niger (23 June 2014)
Distinctions and awards
Chatham House prize in 2012, Moncef Marzouki & Rached Ghannouchi.
- The Maghrebian Medicine Prize (1982)[24]
- Foundation Scanno Literary Prize (1988)[24]
- The Price of the Arab Congress of Medicine (1989)[24]
Human Rights Watch awards for Freedoms (2001)[24]
- Gold Medal of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2012)[25]
- The Chatham House Prize for the year 2012 in London (with Rached Ghannouchi)[26]
Honorary Degree from University of Tsukuba in 2013[27]
- Al Qods Prize for 2015 in Chicago[28]
- Foundation Ducci Peace Award for 2016 in Rome[29]
- One of the 100 Most Influential Arabs in the World in 2018[30]
Published works
Arabes, si vous parliez, ed. Lieu commun, Paris, 1987
Laisse mon pays se réveiller : vers une quatrième civilisation, ed. Éditions pour le Maghreb arabe, Tunis, 1988
Le mal arabe, ed. L'Harmattan, Paris, 2004
Dictateurs en sursis : une voie démocratique pour le monde arabe, ed. de l'Atelier, Paris, 2009
L'invention d'une démocratie. Les leçons de l'expérience tunisienne, ed. La Découverte, Paris, 2013
Tunisie, du triomphe au naufrage (with Pierre Piccinin da Prata & Thibaut Werpin), ed. L'Harmattan, Paris, 2013
L'invention d'une démocratie. Les leçons de l'expérience tunisienne, ed. La Découverte, Paris, 2013
Tunisie, du triomphe au naufrage, ed. L'Harmattan, Paris, 2013
References
^ "Veteran human rights activist chosen as Tunisia's new interim president", The Telegraph, 15 November 2011.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Tunisian activist to serve as interim president, CBC News, 12 December 2011
^ Jacobs, Donna (5 April 2013), "Tunisia's bold gamble on democracy: 'One day or another, we will win'", Diplomat & International Canada
^ ab "Marzouki se fait allumer en Algérie". Maghreb Intelligence. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
^ abcd "Moncef Marzouki declares presidential candidacy". Al Arabiya. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
^ "Marzouki: Tunisia's opposition stalwart turned president". English.alarabiya.net. 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
^ ab Coll, Steve. "The Casbah Coalition. Tunisia's second revolution", The New Yorker, 4 April 2011. retrieved on 30 April 2011.
^ "What is the Arab Commission for Human Rights". 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
^ "Déclaration constitutive". Congress for the Republic. 24 July 2001. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
^ "Première liste des membres fondateurs du CPR". Congress for the Republic. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
^ "Tunisia's assembly elects human rights activist as interim president". Washington Post. 2011-12-12. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
^ "Tunisian activist, Moncef Marzouki, named president". BBC News. 2011-12-12. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
^ Mzioudet, Houda (14 December 2011), "Ennahda's Jebali Appointed as Tunisian Prime Minister", Tunisia-live.net, archived from the original on 17 January 2012, retrieved 21 December 2011
^ Tunisian PM presents new government, AFP, 20 December 2011, archived from the original on 21 December 2011, retrieved 21 December 2011
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ "Controversial Tunisian Court Ruling Reflects Dilemmas of the Arab Spring". Time. 3 May 2012.
^ "Tunisia launches Truth and Dignity Commission". 2014-06-09.
^ [1]
^ "Tunisian president cuts own pay by two-thirds". 2014-04-14.
^ "Tunisian secular leader Essebsi sworn in as new president", Reuters, 31 December 2014.
^ Tunisia's ex-president Marzouki arrives in France after detention in Israel, Ahram Online, 30 June 2015
^ "Marzouki en mission d'observation des élections aux Îles Comores". 2016-02-10.
^ "La nouvelle 'Première dame' de Tunisie : Pourquoi tant de mystère?". Nawaat. 3 April 2013.
^ abcd "Les limites du concept sont-elles encore négociables ?". 2001.
^ "Le Directeur général remet la Médaille d'or de l'ISESCO au Président tunisien". 2012-12-29.
^ "'Chatham House Prize 2012 - Rached Ghannouchi and Moncef Marzouki'". 2015-04-08.
^ "Marzouki docteur honoris causa de l'université de Tsukuba". 2013-07-04.
^ "Le Prix annuel d'El Qods 2015, attribué à Moncef Marzouki". 2015-11-29.
^ "Moncef Marzouki reçoit le Prix de la Paix de la Fondation italienne Ducci".
^ "Toplist Arabic 2018". 2018-01-17.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moncef Marzouki. |
Official website
- Former official website
- Official page on Facebook
- Official website of Marzouki's 2014 presidential campaign
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mohamed Charfi | President of the Tunisian Human Rights League 1989–1994 | Succeeded by Taoufik Bouderbala |
| Party political offices | ||
New political party | President of the Congress for the Republic 2001–2011 | Succeeded by Abderraouf Ayadi Acting |
Constituent Assembly of Tunisia | ||
New constituency | Member of the Constituent Assembly for Nabeul's 2nd district 2011 | Succeeded by Samia Abbou |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Fouad Mebazaa Acting | President of Tunisia 2011–2014 | Succeeded by Beji Caid Essebsi |
Presidents of Tunisia (List; by age) | |||
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Italics indicate interim officeholder | |||
Authority control  |
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