one of the conditions of democracy and the Political Parties are entrusted with a fundamental mission in the development of civic spirit and the cristallization of choices and alternatives so as to guarantee the vitality of the political system. 233. Paragraph 2 of Article 5 of the Constitution, as amended by the Constitutional law n° 2002-51 of 1st June 2002 amending certain provisions of the Constitution, indicates that the Tunisian Republic has the principles of the rule of law and of pluralism as basis and reaffirms the right of all individuals to participate in public affairs. The notion of pluralism in this context designates the multiplicity of the trends of thought and the diversity of the political trends called upon to be stakeholders of a political life devoid of monopartyism. It signfies multipartyism and the plurality of popular organizations, of Associations and of the various components of civil society. All these groups represent spaces allowing the citizen to participate in public affairs and to contribute to the building of democracy within the framework of the rule of law. 234. Participative democracy, when all the actors of political and associative life accept the honest rules of the game, generates quality and competence and promotes the anchorage in modernity. All of civil society is concerned by this bet which requires audacity, dedication, but also moderation, responsibility, perspicuity and respect for others. Towards this end, several juridical and political measures had been taken to sanction pluralism and the participation in public affairs, at the level of the electoral system and of access to decision making positions. B) Grassroots Democracy 235. Within the context of the promotion of grassroots democracy, the organic law n° 2002-8 relative to the composition of the regional Council had been promulgated on the 28th January 2002. This law is aimed at enabling the Opposition Parties to be represented in the regional Councils by up to 20% of the total number of members of these bodies, on condition that these Parties have representatives in the local Councils of the region concerned. 236. It is within this same context of grassroots democracy that the attention accorded to community action belongs and which resulted in the start of the review of the districts’ organic laws in order to consolidate the attributes of decentralization and this by looking critically at the human resources component of the local councils and by increasing their allocations. C) Civil Society participation 237. The Associations are considered an essential partner in the building of a free and responsible society where associative life constitutes the appropriate framework for the participation of citizens in public affairs. In a context marked by the consolidation of participative democracy, the associative fabric allows, in effect, the promotion of a climate of solidarity and better communal living. 238. The political choice in the matter of encouragement of civil society resulted both in the setting up of an appropriate institutional and regulatory framework and through the promotion of participative democracy. This option allowed the increasing of the number of Associations from 7,282 in 1999 to 8,913 in 2005. 52