Freedom isn't free

Protesters angered by a local outcome in Tunisia’s first free election burned a central government building yesterday in the impoverished town of Sidi Bouzid, which was where Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor, set himself on fire in protest against a lack of opportunity and the heavy handedness of the local police, touching off a wave of demonstrations that toppled Ben Ali and inspired the regional revolutions and unrest that became known as the Arab Spring. The violence appeared to be set off by a local election issue, rather than displeasure at the broader results of the national vote. Supporters of Hachmi Hamdi, a former member of the ousted government, saw their votes nullified after his party, the Popular List, was removed from the ballot over accusations of campaign finance violations. I bet this spasm of violence is nothing but a front for Tunisians who are still loyal to Ben Ali. Ben Ali was the wrong leader for Tunisia and we should all support the Tunisian people in their quest for the right leader. Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party Ennahda, banned for decades, has emerged the official victor in the landmark elections, taking 41.47 percent of the vote and 90 of 217 seats in an assembly that will write a new constitution.