ABSTRACT
In 1987, Tunisian radio had broadcast the communique that would bring an end to Bourguiba's presidency. Its author was his former prime minister, General Zein al-Abidine ben Ali. Tunisians, the majority of Islamists included, received their new president. Ben Ali found no trouble in securing his grip on both the state apparatus and the ruling party, for he had been the key player in the country for the last few years of the Bourguiba era. When the application for the new political party was submitted, hopes were high among the Islamists that a positive response awaited them this time. The public wing of al-Nahda's leadership spared no efforts in allaying Ben Ali's fears about the movement's intentions. The unspoken understanding was that in return for official recognition, al-Nahda would avoid any form of challenge for political power, for it regarded itself primarily as a movement of da'wa and social change.
