Tunisia dissolves former ruling party

A court in Tunisia has dissolved the former ruling party of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The chamber decided to dissolve the Rally for Constitutional Democracy (RCD) and to liquidate its assets and funds, the court said in its ruling, which resulted in wild applause.

As a result of the ruling, the party cannot field any candidates in any future elections.

The party, which was created in 1988 by Ben Ali and at one time claimed 2 million members (or about one in every five Tunisians) was accused of violating the constitution by forming a one-party totalitarian regime under Ben Ali.

However, RCD officials said it will appeal the court’s decision.

Since Ben Ali fled the country in January, pro-democratic protesters have demanded the RCD’s dissolution. Last month, the interior ministry had suspended the party from taking part in official activities.

The country’s new interim prime minister recently said that national elections will take place in July.

Recently, a spate of government ministers, including former interim Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, have resigned, under pressure from opponents who want to remove any vestige of Ben Ali’s rule from the current administration.

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