Moncef Marzouki

Position: President of Tunisia

Biography: On 12 December 2011, Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly elected Moncef Marzouki as interim president, marking the start of the second transition phase following the overthrow of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

Marzouki founded the opposition group Congress for the Republic Party in 2001, only to see it banned in 2002, forcing him to move its activities to France. He returned to Tunisia last year after Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. In March, his party was allowed to participate in the assembly elections.

It secured 30 seats, the second largest won in the polls, held on 23 October. Before entering politics, Marzouki founded the National Committee for the Defence of Prisoners of Conscience in 1993. He later resigned saying it had been infiltrated by government supporters and set up the National Committee for Liberties. Marzouki studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg in France, graduating in 1973.

Contact Tel: (+216) 71 346 001