He founded and has led the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties (FDTL), a political party, since 1994.

In 1976 he was one of the founders of a weekly opinion magazine and an organization that evolved into the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH).

[1] In 1994 Ben Jafar founded the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties party (abbreviated FDTL and also called Ettakatol).

[6] The leading parties agreed instead on a power-sharing arrangement according to which Ben Jafar would be named Speaker of the Constituent Assembly.

He was elected to that post by the Assembly when it met on 22 November 2011, receiving 145 votes against 68 for opposition candidate Maya Jribi.