Tunisia's Founding Father Overthrown During Medical Checkup

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]The father of Tunisia's independence was overthrown by the very constitution he created. It's 1956 Tunis, Tunisia. Habib Bourguiba leads his nation to freedom from French rule after 75 years of colonial control. He transforms Tunisia into a beacon of progress. Women gain equal rights to divorce and education. Religious courts disappear replaced by secular law.

[00:00:25]Universities open their doors to all citizens regardless of gender. For 30 years he mentors a loyal prime minister named Zine El Abidine Ben Ali grooming him as his trusted successor. But behind closed doors Ben Ali grows impatient.

[00:00:39]The 84-year-old president shows no signs of stepping down. Ben Ali orchestrates what appears to be a routine medical checkup. He bribes the doctors beforehand ensuring their diagnosis. The physicians examine Bourguiba and declare him medically unfit to govern. Ben Ali presents the medical report to parliament invoking the constitutional procedures Bourguiba himself had written. Within [clears throat] hours security forces surround the presidential palace. Bourguiba is removed from power without a single shot fired. The modernizer who built Tunisia's democracy was Habib Bourguiba.