Differences hit the movement: Ennahda fails to choose a candidate for Tunisian presidency

After the death of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on July 25, and the early date of the presidential elections that were scheduled for November 29, until mid-September, Ennahda announced that it will determine its position on those elections, whether to submit a candidate, or only to support another figure from outside.

“So far, the issue of our candidate for the upcoming presidential election has not been decided, and we will announce it on Tuesday (August 6th),” said Ennahda Shura Council Chairman Abdelkarim Harouni.

Harouni revealed that the result of the vote in the Council was in favor of the opinion defending the nomination of a figure from within the movement to run in the presidential election with 45 votes while 44 votes demanded the nomination of a figure from outside the movement.

The meeting of the Ennahda Shura Council held Saturday in the city of Hammamet witnessed deep disagreements among members on the backdrop of testing between the movement of one of the leaders of the movement, such as Rashid Ghannouchi and Abdul Fattah Moro, Speaker of the Interim Parliament. Candidates from outside it include Tunisian Minister of Defense Abdel Karim Zubaidi and Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

Tunisian newspapers reported that Abdellatif Mekki, a prominent leader in the movement, left the meeting of the Consultative Council of Enahda. “I will keep it for myself,” he said.

The newspapers pointed out that there are about 45 members who voted for the introduction of a figure from within the movement for the presidential elections, but at the same time there are 44 members who demanded the support of a figure from outside, and the resolution needs a majority of about 50 votes.

Deep differences within Enahda

Tunisian writer and political analyst Belhassen Yahyaoui commented that Ennahda will deliberately not include one of its candidates in the presidential elections, so that it will have a trade off in the parliamentary elections.

Yahyaoui added in statements to the Reference that the movement is certainly looking for some independent personalities from outside, which nominated and works to support them through a process of exchange of benefits, as well as it mobilizes forces, in order to gain support in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

He pointed out that this failure to identify a candidate reflects the depth of differences within Ennahda especially as the meeting began its work amid the noise of a remarkable anger expressed by the leader Abdul Latif al-Makki, who left the meeting room, and then followed by leader Noureddine Beheiri, stressing that the last few days will be decisive, in terms of entering this juncture that will stop the maneuvers practiced by Ghannouchi.

On the file of candidates for the Tunisian Brotherhood Ennahda for the upcoming presidential elections, Dr. Tarek Fahmi, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said in an earlier statement to the Reference that the Tunisian Parliament Speaker Abdel Fattah Moro is the closest to run, but the picture in the domestic scene so far is not clear.