Tunisia’s biggest political party Ennahda urges dialogue

Tunisia’s biggest political party, Ennahda, has called for dialogue, following President Kais Saeid’s sacking of the prime minister and suspension of parliament on Sunday.

The party has also told its supporters not to take part in demonstrations.

Ennahda officials say they don’t want to escalate the situation.

Earlier, the party accused President Saeid of staging a coup. He insists he has acted within his rights at a time of crisis.

Mr Saied, an independent, had had a long-standing feud with the man he has removed, Hichem Mechichi. Mr Mechichi has the backing of the Ennahda.

Ousted PM promises ‘not to cling on’

Tunisia’s dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has however said he will not cling on to his position, to avoid complicating matters further.

In a statement released on his Facebook page, Mr Mechichi acknowledges the political failures of recent years.

He says his year-long position as head of government came at a difficult period in Tunisia’s history, with a “strangling economic and social crisis due to successive political elites… failing to meet people’s expectations”.

Mr Mechichi said he understood the despair of Tunisians and the lack of confidence in the political class, adding that there were “great disparities” between what the people wanted and the priorities of political parties.

His statement appears conciliatory, and could serve to slightly temper the political tension plaguing the country in this uncertain period.

It also appears to break away from a nominal alliance he had formed with the speaker of parliament in recent months, which was part of the ongoing power struggle with the presidency.

There’ve been many months of political tension, and much popular discontent with the government’s handling of the pandemic and the economy.

BBC