Tunisian Chamber of Advisors holds inaugural session
Tunis, 19 August 2005 (TunisiaOnline)
The Chamber of Advisors, the new second chamber of the Tunisian Parliament, held its inaugural session this week.
The 112-member Chamber is composed of 71 elected members and 41 members who are named by the President of the Republic.
Elected members, chosen by electors on July 2005, represent different regions (governorates) of the country as well as the national business federation (UTICA), the farmers' and fishermen's union (UTAP). One of the elected UTICA members is Tunisian-Jewish community leader Roger Bismuth.
The designated members of the Chamber of Advisors are distinguished national figures, including many from civil society.
The percentage of women in the new upper chamber is 15 %, while that in the lower chamber (the Chamber of Deputies) is 22.7%. In both houses, awoman member has been elected deputy speaker.
The creation of the Chamber of Advisors was made possible by the Constitutional Reform introduced in Tunisia in 2002. Prior to that,Tunisian Parliament used to be composed of one single legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies.
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