What it's Supposed to Look Like After a Revolution

Tunisia's newly seated constituent assembly has been busy, first adopting an interim constitution to allow a government to be set up during the writing of a permanent one, and then, today, choosing (as agreed previously), Moncef Marzouki of the CPR, the second largest party, as President. (Hamadi Jabali of al-Nahda is Prime Minister.) Marzouki is a longtime human rights activist who spent time in prison and in exile under Ben Ali; Jabali spent the period between 1992 and 2006 in prison. Tunisia had a revolution this year, so this is not surprising; the old opponents are in charge now.

Egypt also had a revolution this year. It is currently governed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which consists of the entire military high command that served under Husni Mubarak; its Prime Minister is Kamal Ganzouri, who also served a term as Prime Minister under Mubarak a while back; at least two members of the Cabinet are carryovers from the last Mubarak Cabinet. Egypt is one third of the way into elections that will lead, perhaps some time next year, to a constitution being drafted and a President elected. Maybe next year at the earliest.

Do you see any differences between the results of these two revolutions?