eelected for a
third term without opposition; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN
ALI nearly 100%

Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab
(163 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held NA October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA;
note - the government changed the electoral code to guarantee that the
opposition won seats

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders: Constitutional Democratic Rally Party
or RCD ; Movement of
Democratic Socialists or MDS ; five other political parties
are legal, including the Communist Party

Political pressure groups and leaders: the Islamic fundamentalist
party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD,
AL, AMF, AMU, BSEC (observer), CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, NAM, OAS
(observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Noureddine MEJDOUB
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: (202) 862-1850

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robin L. RAPHEL
embassy: 144 Avenue de la Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (1) 782-566
FAX: (1) 789-719

Flag description: red with a white disk in the center bearing a red
crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and
star are traditional symbols of Islam

@Tunisia:Economy

Economy - overview: Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important
agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors.
Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has
gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization,
simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt.
Real growth averaged 5.0% in the 1990s, and inflation is slowing.
Growth in tourism and increased trade have been key elements in this
steady growth. Tunisia's association agreement with the European Union
entered into force on 1 March 1998, the first