(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
A little over three years ago, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled from Tunisia with his family, after 23 years of autocratic rule.
He was the first leader to step down in the popular uprisings that later became known as the 'Arab Spring'.
Now, Tunisia's national assembly has approved a new constitution, in one of the final steps to full democracy.
Peggy Giakoumelos has the details.
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Members of Tunisia's national assembly celebrate as a screen shows well over the two-thirds of necessary votes have been received to approve the new constitution.
Parliament agreed the text on Friday after the moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, granted a number of concessions to its secular opponents, including dropping references to Islamic law.
The new constitution says Islam is the state religion, but guarantees freedom of worship.
President of the assembly, Mustapha Ben Jaafar, says the new constitution isn't perfect, but its wording was reached by consensus.
(Arabic, then translation): "This adoption is almost a plebiscite on the constitution of New Tunisia, on the constitution of the second republic." (cheers, fade)
One MP, Nome Fehri, says passage of the new constitution is a victory for future generations of Tunisians.
"We made it!" (Starts in English, then Arabic with translation): "Congratulations to our children, and their children. What we are achieving is not for us."
Tunisia's democratic transition contrasts sharply with what's occurred in other countries involved in the Arab Spring.
Libya, Egypt and Yemen have been caught up in continuing turmoil since ousting their own long-standing leaders in uprisings in 2011.
Not that the transition in Tunisia has been entirely smooth.
The assassination of two opposition leaders by Islamist militants last year pitched the small country into crisis, with more mass demonstrations.
After months of protests and deadlock, the governing Ennahda party agreed to step aside for a caretaker administration of non-political appointments that's due to govern until elections later this year.
MP Mourad Amdouni says the passage of the new constitution shows assassinated opposition figures did not die in vain.
(Starts in Arabic, then translation): "I want to congratulate all Tunisians. This is a historical moment. I felt like a hard stone was taken off. At least, Mohamed (Bouazizi, a street vendor whose self-immolation sparked the uprising in 2011) led us to the moment he used to dream of."
President of the Ennahda Party, Rached Ghannouchi, says Tunisians should be proud of what they've achieved.
"(Starts in Arabic, then translation): Our people succeeded in making a peaceful revolution that enlightened the world. We succeeded to avoid a civil war between us. But we achieved consensus."
After their historic vote, the red and white Tunisian flag was unfurled in the national assembly chamber in Tunis, and assembly deputies embraced each other as they sang the Tunisian national anthem.
