Beijing, China | XINHUA | Tensions swelled in the Arab world 10 years ago in the name of “Arab Spring,” and the region has since undergone major changes, though many countries were still reeling from a heavy blow from the movement. After the wave of anti-government protests and violence, some …
Read More »Sudan’s Bashir, veteran strongman turned inmate
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Since his ouster last year, Sudan’s veteran leader Omar al-Bashir has been detained and convicted of corruption, becoming the Middle East’s latest fallen strongman. The 76-year-old, held in Khartoum’s Kober prison where many of his opponents were detained during his rule, had ruthlessly crushed dissent after …
Read More »Tunisia, eight years on from its Arab Spring revolt
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff vote, here is a recap of key developments in Tunisia since its 2011 revolution. – President flees – Demonstrations erupt in central Tunisia in December 2010 after the self-immolation of a fruit seller protesting police harassment and unemployment. After weeks of …
Read More »Tunisia: towards a parliament riven by divisions
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia’s parliamentary elections held on Sunday appear to have failed to forge a clear path to forming a government. Closed door negotiations are already underway, even ahead of official preliminary results due on Wednesday and a two-man presidential run-off set for Sunday. Here is a brief …
Read More »Outsider leads after upset Tunisia presidential poll
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Law professor and political outsider Kais Saied on Monday led Tunisia’s presidential polls with two-thirds of the votes counted, the electoral commission said, after the country’s second free vote for head of state since the 2011 Arab Spring. Saied was on 18.9 percent, ahead of imprisoned …
Read More »Anti-establishment figures claim first round wins in Tunisia polls
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Two anti-establishment candidates in Tunisia’s divisive election claimed Sunday to have won through to a runoff, hours after polling closed in the country’s second free presidential poll since the 2011 Arab Spring. In a sign of voter apathy, especially among the young, turnout was reported by …
Read More »Tunisia gears up for presidential poll steeped in uncertainty
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia will hold on Sunday its second free presidential election by universal suffrage since the 2011 uprising that toppled an autocratic regime, with growing uncertainty over who will reach the next round. Twenty-six candidates are in the race, including the incumbent prime minister and a media …
Read More »Will Tunisia continue to democratise?
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Despite priding itself on being the sole country to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings as a functioning democracy, Tunisia faces challenges on its new political path. The cradle of the autocrat-ousting movements that swept the region nine years ago, the North African country has been …
Read More »Egypt’s Mubarak set to walk free 6 years after “Arab Spring”
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | The release of Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak approved on Monday ends “talk of the Arab Spring” uprising that toppled him in 2011 after 30 years in power, an analyst said. An Egyptian prosecutor approved a request by Mubarak’s lawyer for his release after a top …
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