Tunisian Constitutional Council must help poor

Tunisia's Constitutional Council, which is to work out the basis for the country's democratic transformation, will be elected on Sunday. But the split between rich and poor could tear the country apart, warns the left-liberal daily Le Monde: "Strictly speaking Tunisia is two countries. The one is well-off and favours a dolce vita lifestyle, night clubs and shopping at [the French supermarket chain] Carrefour. The other is unemployed and has no job prospects, no hope and no means of earning a decent life. ... Few candidates have focused on the real face of Tunisia. No one has yet taken stock of the twenty-three years under Ben Ali. This denial of reality only makes things worse. If a large part of the Tunisian population continues to be relegated to an almost Medieval poverty, the social explosion will take on nuclear proportions. ... The revolution took place because those who had nothing revolted. Without them nothing would have happened. Now it's time to return the favour."

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