Tunisia 2011: The electoral framework & its consequences

 On October 20th, just ten months after overthrowing their seemingly eternal dictator and setting off a wave of uprisings around the Arab world, Tunisians will at last head to the polls to democratically elect the members of the Assembly that will decide the course of their political transition. This is the first of a two-part analysis of the upcoming elections. This first part serves as a technical primer detailing the electoral framework chosen for these elections and the consequences it will have on the shape of the Constituent Assembly.