Tunisia: Ennahda Leaders Propose Internal Referendum to Extend Ghannouchi’s Term

Arab World

October 8th, 8:15am

Tunis- Al Mongi Al Saidani

Leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, Rachid Ghannouchi in Tunis, Tunisia (AFP)

The Islamist Ennahda movement is considering referring to an “internal referendum” to resolve the dispute over extending the term of the movement's leader, Rachid Ghannouchi. Sami Tariki, member of the organizing committee of Ennahda’s 11th conference, explained that Chapter 133 of the movement’s bylaws enables the party leader or the majority of Shura Council, 50 members, to call for a referendum to overcome the issue. Tariki says the disagreement relates to the need to implement the law and abide by it, and is not about extending the presidency. He notes that all Ennahda top officials, including Ghannouchi himself, do not adopt the idea of term extension, rather they defend the principle that the issue should be resolved through elections. Meanwhile, member of Ennahda’s executive bureau Belkacem Hassan revealed that the movement continues to prepare for the conference at the end of the year. Hassan told Asharq Al-Awsat that the disagreement over whether Ghannouchi should remain as the head of the movement is simple and can be resolved within the party. It is not a complicated issue as portrayed by local media and promoted by opposition parties, said Hassan, adding that the solution lies in implementing the party’s laws, which stipulates that differences be resolved at the conference. Meanwhile, two names have been nominated to succeed Noureddine Bhiri, the head of Ennahda’s parliamentary bloc. The party’s spokesman, Imad al-Khumairi, who is supported by Ghannouchi, received 31 votes while the former president of Ennahda’s Shura Council, Fathi al-Ayadi, won 21 votes. Observers believe the votes suggest the success of Ghannouchi's wing, whereas some note that the results reflect the general direction in the movement’s policy. Both candidates reject extending the leader’s tenure, while their opponents want to refer to the movement’s bylaws and issue amendments if the majority deems necessary. They also defend the right to run for office without any legal objections or limitations on the number of terms, which may pave the way for an extension to Ghannouchi’s presidency.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2553156/tunisia-ennahda-leaders-propose-internal-referendum-extend-ghannouchi%E2%80%99s-term