Tunisia: Tamarrod by assassination?

Does the latest political assassination in Tunisia aim to trigger an Egypt-like rebellion?

By Larbi Sadiki

Al-Jazeera

Opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi was shot dead on July 25, and follows the assassination of the late Chokri Belaid, who was shot on February 6 as he was leaving his house [AFP]

"After my curiosity turned me into a protester two nights ago, my eyes are still itching from the teargas.  The news of the assassination of secular politician Mohamed Brahmi shocked everyone. The Tunisian friends I was with when we heard the news were speechless. More bad news today, as the body of the slain Nassirist politician was being laid to rest in Al-Jallaz cemetery, the country's most famous resting place for nationalist and anti-colonial heroes. The day was opened up with news of a blast in Tunis, which luckily caused no deaths but added to public anxiety and thirst for answers as to what is going on in Tunisia - the only Arab spring country on the verge of a genuine democratic transition. Is al-Qaeda sending a not-so-veiled message? Is it Ben Ali's azlam  - as Tunisians refer to the folool  (remnants of the old regime)? What is certain is that the government doesn't know either. At the time of speaking, more than 40 National Constituent Assembly (NCA) deputies have declared their resignation from the 217-seat interim parliament. Similarly, proponents of a visibly weak "tamarrod " campaign are staging protests in varying degrees of intensity around the country...... The bizarre thing in Tunisia is that people calling for tamarrod  (rebellion a la Egypt) are under fire - and the President of the country, former human rights activist Moncef Merzouki, has spoken against such a campaign. The mere call for a campaign of protest should not in an incipient democracy be criminalised. Such a campaign would not succeed in Tunisia - despite scenarios of doom and gloom, the democratisation process remains promising, even if slow, and should deliver the goods depending on how major parties and leaders behave over the next  few days...... NCA-mediated solutions are preferable to alternative scenarios - a power vacuum and rebellion for the sake of rebellion, and those scrutinising the bloodbath in Egypt - should realise that the ballot is way more eloquent than the bullet. Brahmi's tragic end is regrettable at a time like this as the Arab Spring geography witnesses paralysis and bloodshed - but the bullet that killed him should not shoot down Tunisia's democratisation, lest lunacy have the last laugh. "