The constitutional Republic of Tunisia is dominated by the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), the political party that has held power since independence in 1956. The elected President has held office since 1987. In 2004, presidential and legislative elections resulted in the incumbent President being re-elected with 94% of the popular vote. The President appoints the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the 24 governors. 37 of 189 seats in the Chamber of Deputies are reserved for opposition members.

A 2002 referendum amended the constitution to create the Chamber of Advisors, a second legislative body, members of which are appointed by the President or elected by parliamentarians. 126 seats in the Chamber are allocated to regional and professional organisations, and 14 seats are allocated to the trade union centre (UGTT), which refused to name candidates, citing a lack of democracy in the selection process, in which the President appoints 41 candidates. There are reports of media bias and irregularities during the campaign.

Candidates for President must be Muslim and must be endorsed by 30 deputies or municipal council presidents. Political parties cannot be formed on the basis of religion, language, race or gender, a rule used to ban the Islamist An-Naphtha party and to refuse recognition to the Tunisian Green Party.

50 women serve in the 301-seat legislature, and 2 of 25 Cabinet members are women. The first election without gender segregation took place in a 2004 by-election on the outskirts of Tunis. The judiciary is independent in law but is reported to be influenced by the executive branch and the President, who heads the Supreme Council of Judges.

Judges apply Shari'a law in family cases if the civil and Shari'a systems conflict. Some families avoid Shari'a inheritance rules by having contracts to ensure their daughters receive equal shares of property. Islam is the state religion, but the country is a secular state. There is surveillance of Islamists and of mosques, which can be led only by imams appointed by the government and are closed except during prayer times and religious ceremonies.

Security forces are accused of torture of detainees to elicit confessions. Human Rights Watch has condemned the practice of holding political prisoners in solitary confinement, and the government has now eliminated long-term solitary confinement. The creation of the Higher Institute of Security Forces and Customs is intended to reduce corruption.

Freedom of speech and of the press are permitted within "the conditions defined by the law"; press freedom is limited and journalists are reported to practise self-censorship. There is no legislated access to government documents. Press activity is closely monitored, though foreign publications and newspapers are available in the country. Reprisals have been taken against individuals and groups for criticism of the government. Although some restrictions have been lifted, books must be reviewed and approved before publication, and circulation of foreign works may be restricted.

The Tunisia Monitoring Group of the International Exchange on Freedom of Expression lists 21 books or academic works by local authors that are censored in the country. Access is blocked to a number of Internet websites, though some previously blocked websites have been made available. OpenNet Initiative, a collaboration of universities studying government attempts to control Internet information, reports that 10% of the 2,000 websites it tested in Tunisia were blocked. Arrests have been made of persons visiting websites considered suspicious or terrorism-related.

Trafficking in persons is prohibited, and sentences for convicted traffickers have been increased in conformance with the international protocol agreement on trafficking.

Free, universal public education is compulsory for ages 6 to 16. 95% of boys and 93% of girls are enrolled in primary school, dropping to 73% of boys and 76% of girls in secondary school. Girls graduate from secondary school at a higher rate than do boys. Religious schools exist for some groups. Islamic religious education is provided in public schools; the curriculum for secondary school students includes histories of Judaism and Christianity as well as Islamic studies.
Wearing of the hijab in public places is sometimes permitted, though some school officials took disciplinary action to deter hijab use.

A 2-year programme begins at age 4. At this level 72 % of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 45%. Of the 4,218 teachers working at this level, all are women. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 18 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 16. Primary school begins at age 6 and continues for 6 years. At this level 1% of education is private. The NER is 97% (48% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 93% continue to the last grade of primary school. 9% of students repeat grades. 55,297 teachers (50% female) work at this level. The PTR is 22 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and is completed in 7 years. 3% of students in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 64%. 14% of students repeat grades. There are 58,278 secondary teachers, 27,581 (47% female) in lower secondary and 30,697 (44% female) in upper secondary. The PTR is 24 : 1 in lower secondary and 16 : 1 in upper secondary.

263,414 students (55% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 26%. There are 2,265 students from abroad studying in Tunisia, from unspecified countries, and 13,983 Tunisian students studying abroad, mainly in France (9,748), Germany (1,849), Canada (635), USA (341) and Switzerland (276).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is illegal; 1% of public and private sector jobs are reserved for the disabled, and the law is enforced. Little discrimination is reported in education or in other state services. Benefits are provided, such as parking, medical services, seating on public transportation and consumer discounts. Companies who hire persons with physical disabilities receive tax benefits. NGOs assist persons with disabilities with government support. Education and vocational training are provided for disabled children and young adults. Primary education rates for disabled children grew dramatically between 1975 and 1994 but have stabilised since.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The government cooperates with the UNHCR to assist refugees and asylum-seekers. No national system for providing protection to refugees has been put in place. Only 87 refugees were reported to be in the country at the end of 2005.

While the vast majority of Tunisians identify themselves as Arabs, they are mainly descendants of Berbers. Arab and Berbers together account for 98% of the population, Europeans for 1%, Jews and others for 1%. Most Tunisians are Muslim, though small Jewish populations live on the southern island of Djerba and in Tunis. Small nomadic indigenous minorities have been assimilated into the larger population.

Academic freedom is limited, and reports indicate a climate of self-censorship in the universities. Administrators, teachers and students are monitored for political activity. Police are said to operate on university campuses, discouraging students from dissent.

Police arrested a faculty member and several students during campus demonstrations protesting the visit of the former Israeli Prime Minister at a UN summit. Academic publications are subject to submission to the government before publication; university libraries do not purchase foreign books or subscribe to foreign magazines critical of the government. Academic funding criteria are said to prevent researchers from applying for grants on topics they believe the government would object to.

Women have the same legal status as men and have rights protected in law. Divorce and property ownership legislation has been improved, and legislation provides for equal pay for work of equal value. Female university students outnumber male students. Women serve in high positions in government and in the civil service but still face social discrimination. A combination of the Napoleonic code and Shari'a law is used in family and inheritance law. Female citizens can convey citizenship rights to their children whether or not the father is a citizen. Media campaigns have promoted awareness of women's rights.

The Centre for Research, Documentation, and Information on Women (CREDIF) and women's professional associations received government funding. Sexual harassment was made a criminal offence, but the government suspended the law after it was criticised, and sexual harassment remains a problem. Legislation prohibits domestic violence, but enforcement is lax. Police and the judiciary regard domestic violence as a family problem. The National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) operates a centre to assist women and children in difficulty. The death sentence is imposed for rape with the use of violence or threat with a weapon. In other rape cases the penalty is life imprisonment.

The government amended the Household Workers Law to reconcile the minimum age for work and the end of compulsory education. The minimum age for employment is now 16. Inspectors examined the records of employees to ensure compliance with the minimum age law. When children are not in school, the minimum age is 13 for non-industrial light work and work in the agricultural sectors. Minors aged 14 to 18 must have 12 hours rest a day and cannot work between 10 pm and 6 am. In non-agricultural sectors children aged 14 to 16 can work 2 hours a day. The total work-time of school and paid work may not exceed 7 hours a day.

In rural areas young children do agricultural work, and urban children work as vendors during their summer vacation. Juveniles under 18 cannot work in jobs that present a threat to their health, security or morality. Representatives of trade and credit unions conduct inspection tours of factories and industrial sites to ensure compliance. In the informal sector, child labour is often passed off as apprenticeship, as in the handicraft industry.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions. The UGTT is the sole national federation, and about 30% of the work force are UGTT members. The UGTT and its member unions are independent of the government but regulated. UGTT membership includes persons of all political tendencies. The UGTT refused to submit a list of candidates for 14 designated seats in the newly created Chamber of Advisors as they believed the process was not open. Temporary workers have protection under the labour code, but enforcement is more difficult than for permanent workers.

Workers have the right to bargain collectively, and wages and working conditions are set in triennial negotiations between unions and employers. Collective contracts set industrial standards for some 80% of the private sector work force. The government approves but may not modify agreements. The UGTT negotiates wages and working conditions of civil servants and employees of state enterprises. Unions, including civil servants, have the right to strike, provided the UGTT grants approval, though advance approval is rarely sought in practice.

Export processing zones are subject to regular labour laws. Forced and compulsory labour are prohibited, and the law is enforced. Parents of some teenage girls are reported to send their daughters to work as domestic servants to collect their wages.

A range of minimum wages applies. The industrial minimum wage is US $179 (224 dinars) a month for a 48-hour work week and US $155 (194 dinars) a month for a 40-hour work week. The agricultural minimum wage is US$5.87 (7.33 dinars) a day or US $6.17 (7.71 dinars) a day depending on the category of worker. Transportation and family allowances are additional benefits. The minimum wage is reported as only enough to cover essential costs. Workers in the informal sector are not covered by labour laws. The standard work week is 48 hours.