Tunisia marks 1st anniversary of Arab Spring

Thousands of Tunisians marched in peaceful triumph Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali  and sparked uprisings around the Arab world.         

Tunisia greeted the anniversary with prudent optimism, amid worries about high unemployment that cast a shadow over Tunisians' pride at transforming their country.           

 Now a human rights activist is president, and a moderate Islamist jailed for years by the old regime is prime minister at the head of a diverse coalition, after the freest elections in Tunisia's history.            

Tunisia's uprising began on Dec. 17, 2010, when a desperate fruit vendor set himself on fire, unleashing pent-up anger and frustration among his compatriots, who staged protests that spread nationwide. Within less than a month, longtime president Ben Ali was forced out of power, and he fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14, 2011.     

Boisterous marches Saturday reflected the country's new atmosphere.     

On a crisp, sunny day in Tunisia's capital, Islamists shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great." Alongside them were leftists and nationalists celebrating freedom, and mourning the more than 200 people killed in the month-long uprising.     

Leading Arab dignitaries are joining Tunisia's leaders for ceremonies to commemorate the anniversary, including Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika  who faced down protests in his own country last year  and the head of Libya's interim government, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, who helped lead opposition to Moammar Gadhafi.     

AP