Appointment of the Islamist Mondher El-Ounissi as successor to Ghannouchi… What are the implications?
Tunisia is currently in a state of deep confusion, especially after the imprisonment of its leader, Rached Ghannouchi, on charges of “conspiring against the internal security of the state and working to change the state by force,” with the presence in prison of Noureddine Bhiri and Ali Larayedh, two deputies of Ghannouchi, and in an attempt to save what is left of the movement, the (Ennahdha Movement) appointed Mondher el-Ounissi as its interim president, to compensate for this absence, amidst the popularity of information confirming that he is the nephew of Ghannouchi.
Ennahdha Party
With this appointment, el-Ounissi becomes the 14th president in the history of the Ennahdha Movement, which was headed by Rached Ghannouchi when the party was founded in April 1972, up to the December 1980 borders.
He was involved in murder
The past of most of the Brotherhood’s leadership is known to be linked to terrorism, murder, and bloodshed, and el-Ounissi was accused in the murder of Jillani Dabboussi, a Tunisian businessman and former parliamentarian under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, of “preparing a criminal conspiracy to murder with premeditation.”
An End Forever
On the state of floundering, Bassel Tergman, a Tunisian political analyst, said that the appointment of Mondher el-Ounissi confirms that Ghannouchi does not trust any of the leaders of the movement, or even leaders outside of prisons, which made him decide alone. He asserts that the movement is a “family farm” for Ghannouchi, his friends, his family, and his close circle, and denies any ability for him to work in politics.
He added that the movement is suffering from crisis and confusion and wants to convey a message to everyone that it is continuous and stable, and capable of finding an alternative leadership for Ghannouchi, after his arrest by the Tunisian security forces.
He explained that there are many crises facing Ennahdha and the Tunisian street quickly realized the lack of seriousness of Ennahdha’s claims to embrace democracy, thus losing its “revolutionary” claims, and its slogans fell into the category of lies, and it can be said that Ennahdha has ended forever.
