{"id":1846,"date":"2021-07-31T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T14:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/?p=1846"},"modified":"2021-07-31T13:03:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-31T14:03:05","slug":"tunisias-constitutional-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/2021\/07\/31\/tunisias-constitutional-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunisia\u2019s constitutional crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 25 July 2021, the President of Tunisia, citing Art 80 of the Tunisia\u2019s constitution suspended Tunisia\u2019s parliament and sacked the Prime Minister. The opposition in Tunisia is calling the move a coup. President Kais Saied says he is acting within constitutional law, saying the COVID crisis represents a threat to the nation\u2019s security, further pointing to the mishandling of the crisis by the parliament and the sacked PM. Tunisia has been held up as the success story of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, being held as an example of the triumph of democracy over autocratic rule in the MENA region. So, is this a coup or a simple crisis that will eventually blow over?<\/span><\/p>\n

Tunisia gained its independence from France on 15 June 1956. The chart is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The immediate standout is the partile t-square formed by Mercury and the Meridian axis, with Mercury in the 7th<\/sup> house. Virgo rules the MC (the sitting government), with Mercury in Gemini, which would make it the ruler of the chart. However, Pluto is joined by Jupiter in the 9th<\/sup> house (foreign affairs and the judiciary) conjunct the MC and with Pluto ruling the nation\u2019s Scorpio Ascendant. We could say there is a dual rulership to this chart \u2013 Mercury and Pluto.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, there is the midpoint Mer=Sat\/Node, which also squares the Meridian axis. That midpoint reads as follows: \u201cThe inclination to form one’s own conclusions, the experience of difficulties when exchanging thoughts or ideas with others. – Thoughts of separation, estrangement or alienation\u201d. That is combined with MC=Sat\/Node: \u201cInhibited development of one’s own individuality, the state of feeling depressed, standing alone in life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, to cap off the preceding points, we have Mercury in a combative square with Mars from the 4th<\/sup> house (the public, opposition parties and infrastructure), but with the Virgo Moon also trine Mars, the former from the 10th<\/sup> house. The latter points to a large participation of women in government.<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, what we see in the preceding indications is a government that inclines toward oligarchic and authoritarian control (Jupiter\/Pluto conjunct the MC), thereafter toward multiplicity on the one hand and open combativeness and infighting on the other hand (Mercury in the 7th<\/sup> square Mars and square the MC) and with strong opposition parties (Mars in the 4th<\/sup>). This has all been evident in independent Tunisia\u2019s history<\/a><\/span>. There are over 100 legal political parties in Tunisia, for instance and women hold on average more than 25% of the seats in the legislative assembly. The latter brings Tunisia up to the top 30 nations with women as lawmakers<\/a><\/span>, just ahead of Italy and well ahead of the US. These factors are important to understand regarding the current political crisis in Tunisia.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as the chart itself is concerned, the following key events since independence go toward proving the chart:<\/span><\/p>\n