President Ben Ali

President: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

The president is elected every five years through universal suffrage. President Ben Ali was re-elected for a third term in the first pluralist presidential elections on 24 October 1999.

He was due to retire in 2004 but in May 2002 he secured support in a referendum for changes to the constitution which will allow him to stay on for a further two terms.

He was born on 3 September 1936 in Hammam Sousse. He was Tunisia's ambassador in Warsaw in 1980 and prime minister in October 1987.

He was sworn in as the new president in 1987, after doctors declared President Habib Bourguiba unfit to govern because of senility.

Country Profile: Tunisia

Home of the ancient city of Carthage, Tunisia has for a long time been an important player in the
Mediterranean, placed as it is in the centre of North Africa, close to vital shipping routes.

In their time, the Romans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and French realised its strategic significance, making it a
hub for control over the region.

TUNISIA FACTS
Population: 9.8 million (UN, 2003)
Capital:Tunis
Major language: Arabic (official); French
Major religion:Islam
Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) = 1,000 millimes
Main exports:Agricultural products, textiles, oil
Annual average income: US $2,070 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain:.tn
International dialling code: +216