Note. The information on this page has been modified and is subject to further change as the new transitional government is put in place

Official name

Republic of Tunisia

Legal system

Based on the constitution of 1959

Legislature

The 214 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term; 53 of them are elected by proportional representation from those parties that fail to win seats under the first-past-the-post system; only officially recognised parties can contest elections; a 2002 constitutional amendment led to the establishment of an upper house in August 2005, the 126-member Chamber of Counsellors

National elections

Next election due in 2011 (presidential and parliamentary); amendments made to the constitution by the former president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, will need to be removed to allow for fair representation of non-Rassemblement constitutionnel démocratique (RCD) members

Head of state

Mr Ben Ali stepped down on January 14th 2011, amid widespread protests. A presidential election is due to be held in 2011. Information on the length of the term and the maximum number of terms in office has yet to be released

Executive

Council of Ministers, presided over by the head of state, who is also head of the executive; if the Council does not receive the support of the Chamber of Deputies, the latter may be dissolved by the president, after which elections for a new assembly would be held. The most recent cabinet reshuffle took place in January 2010

Main political parties

Mouvement des démocrates socialistes (MDS); Parti de l'unité populaire (PUP); Parti démocratique progressiste (PDP), formerly the Rassemblement socialiste progressiste (RSP); Harakat Ettajdid (HE); Parti social libéral; Union démocratique unioniste (UDU); Forum démocratique pour le travail et les libertés (FDTL); Hizb al-Nahda

The government

Prime minister: Béji Caid Essebsi

Key ministers

Administrative development: Vacant

Agriculture & environment: Mokhtar Jelil

Culture: Ezzedine Bach Chaouech

Education: Tayeb Baccouch

Finance: Jelloul Ayed

Foreign affairs: Vacant

Health: Habiba Zehi

Higher education & scientific research: Rifaat Chaabouni

Industry & technology: Abdellaziz Rassaa

Interior: Habib Essid

Justice: Lazhar Karoui Chebbi

National defence: Abdelkarim Zebidi

Planning & international cooperation: Abdelhamid Triki

Religious affairs: Laroussi Mizouri

Regional & local development: Abderrazak Zouari

Social affairs: Mohammed Naceur

Trade & tourism: Mehdi Houas

Transport & public works: Yassin Ibrahim

Women: Lilia Abidi

Central bank governor

Mustapha Kamel Nabli