‘Brotherhood losing political weight in Tunisia’

Aya Ezz

Tunisia has gone through a tough transition since the Arab Spring Revolution that took place in the country in 2011.

During the past 11 years, the Tunisians proved the falsity of the slogans of the Islamists.

During the same period, the Tunisians saw the ugly political face of their country’s Islamist movements, especially Ennahda Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Tunisia.

The Brotherhood had promised to bring about a renaissance in Tunisia. They even called their movement ‘Renaissance’.

They used this name to win a majority of seats in the parliament and control Tunisians’ political life.

Soon, however, they proved that their promises were nothing but empty. This caused Tunisia’s problems to become worse. Ordinary Tunisians were caught in the middle of the deteriorating conditions of their country.

On July 25, which coincided with the 64th Republic Day in Tunisia, Tunisian President Kais Saied took a number of seminal decisions, responding to public demands and boiling anger against the Muslim Brotherhood.

President Saied’s decisions breathed new life into Tunisia’s political stage and gave ordinary Tunisians renewed hope.

In this interview with Abul Fadl al-Isnawi, the chief editor of International Politics Magazine, The Reference raises a number of important issues, especially on Tunisia’s political future and the future of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country.

After the recent events in Tunisia, how do you perceive the future of the Tunisian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood?

The Brotherhood in Tunisia is now in a major political crisis because of the decisions taken on July 25 by the president.

The decisions were an indisputable legal matter in the light of Article no. 80 of the Tunisian Constitution.

I expect the Muslim Brotherhood to try to regroup itself in the coming period and take advantage of whatever is left to it. Nevertheless, there will be no future for the group at the end.

And what methods might the group use to get out of this predicament?

I think it will try to uphold its constitutional right, especially as it considers Article no. 80 of the constitution to be legally suspicious.

Therefore, the group will try to use the law to uphold this right. However, I do not expect it to succeed in any manner.

It may also resort to try to get out of the current crisis by seeking a political solution, namely by getting involved in dialogue with the president.

It may also resort to violence and chaos.

Is that really possible?

Yes, and this is an option and one last solution, especially if Ennahda fails in reaching political solutions to the crisis.

In this case, the group will enter into bloody confrontations with Tunisian authorities, but in indirect ways. It can resort to assassinations and repeat its conduct in 2014.

It can also use its terrorist arms in the mountains and highlands as well as its foreign arms, especially in Libya.

Ennahda can facilitate the entry into Tunisia of a large number of terrorists from Libya through the shared border between the two countries.