A) The Constitutional Reforms
63. Numerous Constitutional reforms were undertaken during the period covered
by this Report including in particular:
- Constitutional Law n° 95-90 of the 6th November 1995, relative to the
Constitutional Council and the inclusion of the arrangements pertaining to the
Constitutional Council in the body of the Constitution and extending its
prerogatives and authority for the purpose of confirming the primacy of the
Constitution and the Rule of Law;
- Constitutional Law n° 97-65 of the 27th October 1997, amending and completing
certain Articles of the Constitution. These amendments relate to the extension of
the domain of the referendum in sanctioning the sovereignty of the population and
on the demarcation of areas which fall under the competence of the legislative
authority and those which fall under the statutory power. They also relate to the
introduction of the provisions governing the Political Parties so as to consolidate
the democratic process, the reduction of the minimum age of candidacy to the
National Assembly;
- Constitutional Law n° 2002-51 of 1st June 2002, amending certain provisions of
the Constitution introduced constitutional rules relating to the rights and freedoms
of individuals and aimed at strengthening, promoting and enriching them.
B) The Legislative Reforms
64. Laws guaranteeing the protection of and respect for human rights had also
been promulgated, including notably:
- Law n° 95-9 of 23rd January 1995, on the repeal of re-educational work and civil
service in order to sanction the freedom of the individual in employment;
- Organic Law n° 95-68 of 24th July 1995, amending and completing the Organic
Districts Law with a view to encouraging the commitment of the citizenry and
strengthen democracy at the local level.
- Law n° 95-92 of the 9th November 1995, relative to the publication of the Child
Protection Code aimed at guaranteeing for the child his right to development and
to inculcate the values of liberty, justice, tolerance, solidarity, openness and
participation in public affairs in the citizen from a very early age;
- Decree n° 96-1134 of the 17th June 1996, creating the special status of the
delegates’ corps to child protection and the areas of its intervention and methods
of action with the social services and bodies concerned;
- Law n° 95-62 of the 10th July 1995, on the ratification of the International Labour
Convention n° 138 pertaining to the minimum age for admission to employment
and prohibiting the economic exploitation of children;
- Law n° 97-48 of the 21st July 1997 relative to the granting of public funds to
Political Parties aimed at sanctioning political pluralism and the consolidation of
the role of these Political Parties in the organization of national political activities;
- Organic law n° 98-77 of the 2nd November 1998, amending the law n° 75-40 of
the 14th May 1975, relative to Passports and travel documents was passed to
sanction the freedom of movement by granting the judicial authority the right to
preside over all disputes between the administrative authorities and the public
servant pertaining to his right to leave Tunisian territory and his right to return to
it;
- Law n° 99-89 of the 2nd August 1999, amending and completing certain
provisions of the Criminal Code and instituting the sentence of community labour
in substitution to the sentence of imprisonment, also repealed the compulsory
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