Habib Bourguiba these commitments, only the spirit of Article 39 (establishing the life presidency) would prevail. The end of his reign was marked by a war of succession, the weakening of the left and the emergence of the Islamist movement and patrimonialism. In 1925, while he was a student in Paris, Habib Bourguiba met Mathilde Lorrain with whom he settled. During summer vacations back in Tunis, he learned that she was pregnant: Habib Bourguiba Jr., his only child, was born on 9 April 1927 in Paris. The couple married in August of the same year, after their return to Tunisia. After independence,
Avenue Habib Bourguiba a quadruple range of ficus trees (reduced to two rows in a major 2000–2001 renovation). Important private buildings such as The Coliseum (galleries, cafes and movie theatres) in 1931 and the Hotel Claridge in 1932 came to be built. At the advent of independence in 1956, the statue was toppled and the avenue was renamed after the new president Habib Bourguiba. New private buildings emerged from extensive investments, such as international hotels. The Bab Bhar (Porte de France), now a free-standing arch, is located at the termination of the Avenue de France, which in itself is an extension of the