Constituent Assembly of Tunisia

See also: Tunisian Constituent Assembly election, 2011

National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia المجلس التأسيسي الوطني التونسي al-Majlis al-Waṭanī at-Ta’sīsī at-Tūnsī
Type
Founded	22 November 2011
Type	unicameral
Structure
Members	217
Political groups	Ennahda (89)   CPR (29)   Popular Petition (26)   Ettakatol (20)   PDP (16)   Initiative (5)   PDM (5)   Afek (4)   PCOT (3)   Other parties and independents (20)
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation
Last election	23 October 2011
Meeting place
Bardo[1]
Website
constituante2011.tn

The Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, or National Constituent Assembly (NCA) is the body that will work out a new Tunisian constitution for the era after the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD)–regime. To be convoked after the election on 23 October 2011, the convention will consist of 217 lawmakers representing Tunisians living both in the country and abroad.^[2] According to preliminary results, a plurality of members will come from the moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement. The Assembly will hold its first meeting on 22 November.

Besides drafting a new basic law for Tunisia, it is to be determined whether or not the Constituent Assembly should also have the power to appoint a temporary government and a new interim president for the time until general elections are held.^[3] However, it is widely acknowledged that the Assembly can decide whether to extend the current interim government's term or to choose a new one. Provisionally, a time of approximately one year has been envisioned to develop the new constitution,^[4] whereas the convention itself will be sovereign to set its own schedule.^[2]

References

1. ^ http://www.tunisia-live.net/2011/11/18/how-will-the-first-session-of-the-constituent-assembly-be-held/
2. ^ ^{a b} Backgrounder: Basic facts about Tunisian Constituent Assembly election, Xinhua English News, 22 October 2011, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/23/c_131206984.htm, retrieved 25 October 2011 
3. ^ Parker, Emily (6 September 2011), Tunisians Confused: What Is the Role of the Constituent Assembly?, tunisia-live.net, http://www.tunisia-live.net/2011/09/06/tunisians-confused-what-is-the-role-of-the-constituent-assembly/, retrieved 25 October 2011 
4. ^ Gamha, Eymen (10 October 2011), Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly: How Long Will it Last?, tunisia-live.net, http://www.tunisia-live.net/2011/10/10/constituent-assembly-what-about-its-duration/, retrieved 25 October 2011