TUNISIA: THE AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON RULING PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000868

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA: THE AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON RULING PARTY
CHIEF GHARIANI

REF: A. TUNIS 834

B. TUNIS 803

C. TUNIS 748

Classified by Ambassador Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: The ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally
(RCD) is focused on implementing President Ben Ali's 24 point
governance plan, party Secretary-General Ghariani told the
Ambassador on November 24. Drawing heavily from official
rhetoric, the RCD leader asserted that Tunisia is a
"harmonious" country where pragmatism trumps dogma, and
development supersedes all other considerations. Leader of
an omnipotent ruling party, Ghariani was dismissive of other
parties as personality driven with weak institutions, while
overlooking the Tunisian state's very active role in
marginalizing and obstructing the opposition. End summary.


2. (C) On November 24, the Ambassador called on Mohammed
Ghariani, Secretary-General of the Constitutional Democratic
Rally (RCD),the party which has ruled Tunisia continuously
(albeit under several different names) since independence in

1956. The meeting took place at RCD headquarters, a 22-story
glass office building which dominates the skyline in downtown
Tunis. In an office heavily bedecked with Ben Ali and ruling
party paraphernalia, Ghariani extended the Ambassador a warm
welcome and maintained a gracious, cordial tone throughout
the meeting.


3. (C) Ghariani told the Ambassador that, with the October
elections now in the past, the RCD's principal focus was now
on "making succeed" President Ben Ali's 24 point plan for
governance in his fifth five year term. Drawing liberally
from official Tunisian rhetoric, Ghariani stressed that
Tunisia was a "harmonious" country. Tunisians believe in
gradualism, and a collaborative, consensus-based approaches
to problem solving, he underlined. Dogma takes a back seat
to pragmatism in Tunisia, Ghariani asserted, with development
being the "human right" most highly prized by Tunisians.


4. (C) Ghariani said the RCD boasts a membership in excess of
2 million (in a country of less than 11 million). The RCD's
massive size necessitated a complex organizational structure
of various overlapping wings and layers. The party is
divided into both geographic and demographic segments,
Ghariani noted. RCD organizations exist at the national,
provincial, municipal, and neighborhood level, and the party
also groups members into active units of women, youth,
students, professionals, business leaders, etc.


5. (C) Ghariani cast the RCD as a pillar of Tunisia's effort
to modernize society and resist Islamic fundamentalism. The
RCD has been at the forefront of programs to integrate women
into all professions and levels of Tunisian society and
Tunisia's proud record of social achievement speaks for
itself, he added. Though hesitant to characterize
fundamentalism as an urgent threat to Tunisia, the phenomenon
holds dangers for "all of us, everywhere," Ghariani thought.


6. (C) Asked about ties with U.S. political parties,
Ghariani acknowledged that he had met in the past with
representatives of both the National Democratic Institute and
the International Republican Institute, but there were
currently no active ties with either group. The Ambassador
offered to facilitate contacts between the RCD and either or
both party institutes, prompting non-committal thanks from
Ghariani.


7. (C) The Ambassador also asked Ghariani about the RCD's
contacts with Tunisia's opposition parties. Ghariani
responded that the RCD had regular interactions with other
political parties, which were usually very constructive,
although some parties took a confrontational stance. (Note:
All but three of Tunisia's legal political parties have been
coopted, and are effectively controlled, but the GOT. Of the
three independent parties, only one, the leftist Tajdid, is
represented in parliament, with two of the 53 seats reserved
for the opposition. The remaining 161 seats in parliament
are held by the RCD. End note.)


8. (C) Ghariani attributed the weakness of opposition parties
in Tunisia to their missuse and domination by leaders who saw
them as platforms for individual advancement rather than
institutions for national political development.
Nonetheless, "the political process is advancing bit by bit
in Tunisia," he asserted, "the Tunisian people understand
this." Asked by the Ambassador for his vision of what the
2014 elections might look like, Ghariani said (only) that he
was confident that multi-party politics were in Tunisia to
stay.

9. (C) Comment: Though Tunisia is nominally pluralistic, the
RCD conducts itself, and is structured, staffed, and funded
as though it were a one-party state. While we do not
disagree with Gariani's assertion that some Tunisian
opposition parties seem hobbled by the egos of their leaders,
the main reason for the marginalization of the opposition in
Tunisia is the Ben Ali government's policy of active and
continuous interference, intimidation, and obstruction
(reftels). End comment.

GRAY