Muhammad Mzali

Muhammad Mzali served as the prime minister of Tunisia from 1980 to 1986. He made efforts to reintegrate dissidents into the ruling party and granted amnesty to many who had been imprisoned. Mzali also persuaded President Habib Bourguiba to accept a multiparty system, though only one opposition party was legalized at the time.1

His tenure occurred during a period of growing demands for reform and increasing Islamist opposition. Despite promises of liberalization, the 1981 elections saw the ruling party win all parliamentary seats, leading to disappointment among the opposition. Bourguiba's government eventually cracked down on the Islamist movement and became increasingly autocratic. Mzali was succeeded by General Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 1987.1