Hamadi Jebali
The soft-spoken Islamist engineer who became Tunisia's first post-revolution Prime Minister, tasked with steering a fragile democracy into being.
Born 1949 (age 77)·Tunisian politician·Birthday: January 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Hamadi Jebali's path to Tunisia's highest executive office was forged in decades of opposition. An engineer and journalist, he was a steadfast member of the Ennahda movement, which led to persecution and imprisonment under the Ben Ali regime. The 2011 Jasmine Revolution catapulted his party from exile to the heart of power. As Secretary-General, Jebali was chosen as Prime Minister, a compromise figure whose modest demeanor aimed to reassure a nervous secular establishment and international community. His tenure was a baptism by fire, navigating economic crisis, political assassinations, and fierce debates over the role of Islam in the new constitution. His proposal for a technocratic government to break a deadlock was rejected by his own party, leading to his resignation in 2013. This act underscored his often-stated principle that the national interest should trump partisan loyalty, a stance that would eventually lead him to leave Ennahda altogether.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Hamadi was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hamadi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Hamadi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the first Prime Minister of Tunisia following the 2011 revolution, from December 2011 to March 2013.
- Was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Movement during its transition from opposition to governing party.
- Played a key role in Tunisia's delicate democratic transition following the fall of the Ben Ali dictatorship.
Did You Know?
He was imprisoned for 15 years by the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for his political activities with Ennahda.
Before entering politics full-time, he worked as an engineer and was the editor of Al-Fajr, an Islamist newspaper.
He resigned from his position as Prime Minister after his own party rejected his plan to form a cabinet of technocrats.
“The revolution's victory demands a government for all Tunisians, without exclusion.”
