Conflicts raging on between Tunisia’s president, Ennahda movement

Ali Rajab

There is intense rivalry in Tunisia between the country’s President Kais Saied, on one hand, and Ennahda movement, the branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia, on the other.

Ennahda’s supporters are also joining in, including former interim president Moncef Marzouki.

The mandate given the president by the constitution as well as the problems facing the Tunisian people are coming at the center of debates between the two sides.

The Consultative Council of Ennahda movement warned during a recent meeting against deteriorating economic, social and health conditions in Tunisia.

Addressing these conditions, the council said, should be a top priority for Tunisian institutions in the coming period.

The council also made a veiled threat to President Saied, saying the Tunisian people is capable of defending its democracy.

This came shortly after the Tunisian president declared himself the commander of his country’s security establishment.

Ennahda, for its part, considered this move a violation of the Tunisian constitution and political system.

Article no. 77 of the 2014 constitution stipulates that the president is the commander of the Armed Forces.

The head of Ennahda’s Consultative Council, Abdelkarim Harouni, warned against the effects the latest moves of the Tunisian president would have on democracy in Tunisia.

There is a parliamentary system in Tunisia, he said. This system prevents the return of the presidential system.

He accused President Saied of violating the Tunisian constitution by giving himself a mandate that is not stipulated in this constitution.

Harouni called on the Tunisian prime minister to find a way out of the current crisis.

The government and the parliament have to shoulder their responsibilities now, Harouni said.