Whereas, on December 17, 2010, 26-year-old fruit and vegetable street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire in desperate protest in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, an act that was largely seen as the beginning of the Arab Spring movement that spread throughout the region; Whereas ensuing popular protests in Tunisia in response to the Ben Ali regime’s de facto one-party rule, corruption, repression of civil liberties, and economic nepotism— (1) forced the resignation of President Ben Ali from the office of president; (2) ended his 23-year rule; and (3) further galvanized similar pent-up democratic demands throughout the Arab world; Whereas Tunisia emerged from the Arab Spring as one of the most hopeful and promising nascent democracies in the region, including with an interim government and an elected Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting a new constitution and fostering other political reforms; Whereas, in February 2011, Senator John McCain urged United States support for Tunisia’s democratic transition, noting The revolution in Tunisia has been very successful and it has become a model for the region. ; Whereas, in March 2011, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pledged full support for Tunisia’s transition to democracy, hailing the country’s revolution as the spark that lit the profound and dramatic changes sweeping the Arab world; Whereas, on January 26, 2014, the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia adopted a new constitution demonstrating consensus for building a democracy founded on freedom and equality; Whereas this new Constitution of Tunisia included Articles that— (1) gave equal rights to men and women; (2) protected freedoms of assembly, conscience, peaceful demonstration, expression, and publication; and (3) outlined an electoral system and representation for the Tunisian people with checks and balances; Whereas, in November 2014, Tunisia held its first free and fair presidential election since its independence in 1956, with 27 candidates openly competing for the office of president