The agreed Convention of April, 1955, stated that France would retain control of the army and foreign affairs while granting autonomy, which was to begin the following year.

This compromise, however, split the Neo Destour; eventually it led to suppression of its left wing, and expulsion of its radical, pan-Arab leader Salah ben Youssef, who later fled to Egypt.

The French conceived an independent Tunisia as a constitutional monarchy ruled by the Bey of Tunis, Muhammad VIII al-Amin.

Already scheduled elections were held on 25 March 1956; due to secret arrangements negotiated by Bourguiba with the Bey the voters choose only party lists, not candidates.

During the Kingdom era, the Prime Minister was able to start numerous reforms aiming to modernize Tunisian society and change their mentalities.

The prime minister's power was confirmed successfully by the adoption of the Code of Personal Status, a major legislation that reorganized families.

On 15 April, following the assembly's decision to appoint him as Prime Minister, he was replaced by Jallouli Fares, until the adoption of the constitution on 1 June 1959.

The framework law, adopted accordingly, removes the charges for: The body of governors which takes over from the Caidal authorities is chosen from among the Neo-Destour executives.

On 13 August 1956, he issued the Code of Personal Status in Tunisia that banned polygamy and mandated the courts to consider divorce requests while endowments were dissolved and the judiciary unified.

On 21 June of the same year, an order was issued to alter the emblem of the Kingdom of Tunisia, according to which all references to the Husainid dynasty were deleted.

On confirmation of this, Bourguiba worked to gradually reduce the influence of the king, who by this point only exercised ceremonial functions and a small part of the legislative authority, such as putting his stamp on and signing orders, decisions and decrees presented to him by his prime minister every Thursday, thus leading to a type of governance resembling a parliamentary system similar to the British monarchy.

Following his return from France and the conclusion of the internal independence agreements in 1955, Bourguiba sought to reassure members of the royal family and ambassadors of great powers accredited to Tunisia that a constitutional monarchy would be adopted.

On the other hand, he was alluding to these with some counter-references, similar to what was stated in his inaugural speech at the Constituent Assembly on 8 April 1956, in which he praised Muhammad VII, acknowledging that he was a strong Republican.

The next day, the police arrested the youngest son of the king, Prince Slah Eddine (32 years old), and he was imprisoned in the civilian prison of Tunis.

[6][7][8][9][10] In the name of God the Merciful We, the representatives of the Tunisian nation, members of the National Constituent Assembly, by virtue of the full influence we have derived from the people, in support of the pillars of the independence of the state and the sovereignty of the people, and on the path of the democratic system, which is the assembly's point of drawing the constitution, we take the following decision in force immediately: First: We completely abolish the monarchy.

We issued it in the Palace of Bardo on Thursday at six in the evening on the 26th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1376 and on the 25th of July 1957 Signature: Jallouli Fares Bourguiba was preoccupied with the reservations of Libya, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as some Western circles, about declaring the republic in Tunisia.

In confirmation of this, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Libya left the headquarters of the Constituent Assembly in protest against the declaration of the republic by virtue of the treaty that had bound the two countries during the state visit of the Libyan Prime Minister, Mustafa Ben Halim to Tunisia in the beginning of 1957, and the signing of Bourguiba and Mustafa bin Halim of the Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Good Neighborliness between Tunisia and Libya on 6 January 1957.

On the same day of the proclamation of the Republic, a delegation of several personalities was assigned to inform the ousted king of the requirements of the Constituent Assembly's decision and to invite him to comply with it.

Then Ali Belhaouane made a gesture of salute with his hand, repeated As-Salamou Alaikum in his stentorian voice, and turned on his heels.

As we withdrew, police commissioner Driss Guiga presented himself and advised the fallen ruler of an order from the Minister of the Interior placing him in isolation.

In the course of this, hearing the name of his father spoken, the King reacted again, saying Allah Yarhamou (May God save his soul) clearly out loud as he left the room.

In October 1958, the Bey and his wife were transferred to a house in the suburb of Soukra, and he was only released in 1960, to move to live freely in an apartment in Lafayette, with his son, prince Salah Eddine, until his death on 30 September 1962.