[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 152 (Friday, September 20, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING PRESIDENT MOHAMED BEJI CAID ESSEBSI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL FLORES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 20, 2019

  Mr. FLORES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mohamed Beji Caid 
Essebsi, the first democratically elected president of Tunisia, who 
passed away on July 25, 2019.
  President Caid Essebsi was born November 29, 1926, in Sidi Bou Said, 
Tunisia. In 1950 he went to study law in Paris, France, and when he 
returned, he joined the independence movement led by future President 
Habib Bourguiba. Following Tunisia's independence from France in 1956, 
he served as Bourguiba's adviser and in his cabinet from 1957 to 1951. 
His posts included Chief of Regional Administration, Interior Minister, 
Defense Minister, and Ambassador to France.
  Ten years after being sidelined for advocating for democratization, 
President Caid Essebsi returned to public service in 1981, serving as 
Minister of Foreign Affairs until 1986. In 1987, Prime Minister Zine el 
Abidine Ben Ali staged a bloodless coup against President Bourguiba. 
Under the new regime, President Caid Essebsi was appointed as 
Ambassador to Germany. He later returned to serve from 1990 to 1991 as 
the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the former lower chamber of 
the Tunisian parliament.
  In 2010, the citizens of Tunisia took part in a campaign of civil 
resistance against President Ben Ali. Their demonstrations against high 
unemployment, food inflation, and lack of political freedom led to the 
eventual ouster of President Ben Ali. The Tunisian people's 
revolutionary success sparked a wave of protests and government 
overthrows across the Middle East, resulting in the Arab Spring. In the 
aftermath of their success, Tunisians were in need of leadership while 
trying to form a new and democratic form of government. In early 2011, 
acting President Fouad Mebazaa appointed President Caid Essebsi, after 
almost 20 years of private life, as the new Prime Minister for his 
record of patriotism, loyalty, and commitment to democracy.
  In 2011, following elections for the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, 
the body charged with writing a new constitution, President Caid 
Essebsi left office. As the country's new constitution was being 
written, President Caid Essebsi founded a new political party named 
``Nidaa Tounes'' which translates to ``Tunisia's Call.'' He founded 
this party as a democracy-oriented alternative to the lslamist Ennahda 
party which had recently taken power.
  In early 2014, the country's new constitution was passed and 
ratified; followed by elections to form a new system of government. 
Parliamentary elections were held in October of that year and Nidaa 
Tounes won a plurality of the seats. The next month, President Caid 
Essebsi was elected as President of Tunisia in the country's first free 
and fair elections. During his presidency, he supported a secular 
society and legislation that promoted women's rights.
  Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting President Caid Essebsi on a 
House Democracy Partnership trip to Tunisia to promote their continuing 
democratic progress. I enjoyed his company and was saddened to hear of 
his passing. It is my fervent hope that in the upcoming elections to 
replace him, Tunisia continues to build upon the democratic processes 
that he so strongly supported.
  Madam Speaker, President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi's life was defined 
by his service to his country. He will be forever remembered as a 
husband, a father, a selfless public servant, a champion for democracy, 
and a friend.
  My wife, Gina, and I offer our deepest and heartfelt condolences to 
the Caid Essebsi family. We also lift up the family and friends of 
President Caid Essebsi in our prayers.
  As I close today, I urge all Americans to continue praying for our 
country, for our veterans, for our military men and women who protect 
us, and for our first responders who keep us safe at home.