Brotherhood maneuver with a new party in Tunisia
A new maneuver by which the Brothers of Tunisia try to return to the political scene in the country, whose features are unfolding after the announcement of the leader of the breakaway Ennahdha Movement, Abdellatif Mekki, the establishment of a new political party with the same ideology and goals.
- Tunisia is definitely turning the page on the Muslim Brotherhood
- Al-Jazeera’s recruitment of Zitouna channel employees after its closure angers Tunisians
Mekki did not deny that the party was inaugurating the remnants of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood Ennahdha Movement in the country, but he confirmed in several press statements that he and the leaders who broke away from the movement are seeking to establish a new political entity, without disclosing other details.
Informed Tunisian sources said that the discussions regarding the establishment of the new party took place in the presence of Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and not a dissident movement as the Brotherhood is trying to promote.
The Brotherhood’s resort to establishing a new party comes within the framework of a plan agreed upon by all parties in order to preserve a space for the Brotherhood forces in the political equation inside the country, away from Ennahdha, whose popularity has recorded an unprecedented collapse over the past months.
The sources expect that Samir Dilou, a former leader, will assume the leadership of the new party with his colleagues, Abdellatif Mekki and Mohamed Ben Salem, as well as a number of members of the suspended House of Representatives, such as Jamila Ksiksi, Toumi Hamrouni, Rabab Latif, and Nusseiba Ibn Ali.
According to the sources, a committee of leaders, along with politicians from other movements, is studying the legal and preparatory procedures for the establishment of the party in accordance with what is specified in the Tunisian Constitution and stipulated in the Law on the Organization of Parties. The sources indicated that the matter is still under discussion, pending the stability of the political situation in the country to a point that allows for the launching of parties and their propaganda, especially in light of the spread of almost certain news about the possibility of amending the Constitution.
According to several recent surveys, the Muslim Brotherhood is experiencing an unprecedented decline in its popularity. Citizens are also increasingly confident in President Kais Saied and support his decisions.
Tunisian political analyst Nizar Jelidi said that the new party is likely to be an extension of the popularly and politically besieged Ennahdha movement following the July 25 measures, which were taken at the request of the people and were implemented to achieve the justice that Tunisians had demanded most.
Jelidi said that it was expected that Ennahdha would be divided into two parties, with the same reference, so that Ghannouchi would remain as the president of one of them, and the other would be formed from the leaders of the movement who announced their resignation in the past. It would be an attempt to contain the Tunisian street and gain a new political ground.
He said the current conflict is not new, but it has come out of the open in conjunction with political developments in the country, the defeat of Ennahdha, and the decline of its popularity in the Tunisian street.
- Tunisian president issues naming of prime minister and members
- Tunisia unveils composition of new government
The party’s 113 members resigned in early August because of what they described as failed policies and Rached Ghannouchi’s continued leadership of the Renaissance while blaming him for the political failure of the movement in recent years.
“Ennahdha’s policies have caused the country to spiral into turmoil, prompting President Kais Saied to announce corrective measures on July 25, freezing the parliament’s work, lifting the immunity of its members, relieving a number of officials of their positions, and starting a process of purging and holding all parties accountable”.
