Mustapha Ben Jaafar

Position: President of National Constituent Assembly, Tunisia

Biography: Seventy-one-year-old Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the founder and secretary-general of the centre-left Ettakatol party was elected president of the constituent assembly on 22 November 2011. He studied radiology in France before returning to Tunisia in 1970 to join the University of Tunis’ medical faculty.

In 1976, he co-founded the National Council of Liberties with former members of the Destour Socialist Party, the then governing party. He joined the Movement of Socialist Democrats (MSD) in 1978 and went on to hold the position of secretary-general.

By 1994, Ben Jaafar had become disillusioned with the MSD and founded the Democratic Forum of Liberties and Labor, known as Ettakatol. Following the 2011 revolution, Ben Jaafar was appointed minister of public health, but he resigned to protest against the retention of ministers who had served in Ben Ali’s government.

Contact Tel: (+216) 71 320 258