Tunisian leader given socialist support

Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly [NCA] President, Mustapha Ben Jaafar, has been elected an honourary head of the Socialist International [SI] in a meeting held on Tuesday. Ben Jaafar's Ettakatol party has been a member of Socialist International since 2002 and became a permanent member last year. During the conference on Tuesday, Ben Jaafar spoke of his party's role in post-revolutionary Tunisia. "Ettakatol has played a major role in shaping the politics of Tunisia so far," he said. "It has promoted progressive ideas of democracy, and contributed to avoiding the institutionalisation of Sharia.” The President told SI delegates that his party "stands with resistance against dictatorship by building a constitution founded on universal values. Our constitution will be faithful and true to the martyrs of our revolution,” he said. “I will continue to be the voice of the voiceless." The SI council meeting for the SI, being held in Portugal from February 3 to 6 including 250 representatives from 90 international delegations, focuses on employment issues, emerging economies and the democratisation of Arab states.