Merger of political parties, disappearance of international support.. New slaps for Brotherhood of Tunisia

Doaa Imam

Tunisia’s political scene has been further complicated by the announcement of the merger of the Free Patriotic Union (FNL) (founded on May 19, 2011 by businessman Salim Riahi) with the Nidaa Tounes Party, headed by Hafez Beji Essebsi, the son of the Tunisian President.

The fusion of the two parties together helps in bringing political balance in the country and at the same time affects negatively Ennahdha movement, the extension of the Brotherhood in Tunisia.

Brotherhood in Tunisia has been receiving slaps recently, especially after the accusation of Ennahdha movement of establishing a secret system involved in several assassinations, and then the «National Union» stopped supporting «National Coalition», which supports the government of Youssef Al-Shahed.

With Ennahdha’s support for Al-Shahed as the head of the government, businessman Salim Riahi, who heads the National Union and one of Al-Shahed supporters, announced his joining “Nidaa Tounes” calling for the need for a total transformation of the government, including its president.

Abdulhameed al-Jalasi, a leader in Ennahdha movement, said that the parties’ calculations are legitimate and that the movement would consider its alliances map as one of the components of the political scene.

The new coalition ensures the rise of Nidaa Tounes in the parliament to the second place with 50 MPs after 12 MPs from the Free Patriotic Union joined Ennahdha, which includes 68 deputies. So, the number of MPs in National Coalition that supports el-Shahed fell to 39.

At the same time, Tunisian MP Fatima Al-Massadi said that merger of the Free Patriotic Union (FNL) party in the Nidaa Tounes movement is the first step that expresses a new political scene, pointing out that this scene illustrates the lack of dealing with the Brotherhood in Tunisia, which Ennahdha represents.

She also called for the dissolution of the movement based on the anti-terrorism law.

Previously, Rashed al-Ghannouchi, head of Ennahdha, said the movement gains regional and international support, which angered a number of the movement’s leaders who asked him not to be sure of this support. They told him that the regional and international situation didn’t change towards the movement.

Al-Ghannouchi’s belief in the existence of external support made him see no problem for the movement to move towards power and even to nominate a presidential candidate.

At the same time French President Emmanuel Macron addressed implicit messages to Ennahdha during the opening of the 17th session of the Francophone Summit in Yerevan, capital of Armenia, where his speech showed unprecedented support for President Essebsi.

Macron’s speech increased the fears of the Brotherhood when he said that France would stand by the president Essebsi against “those who want to imprison an entire continent in a distorted interpretations of religion.”

At the same time, the Tunisian political analyst Nizar Maqni, said the merger of the two parties indicates a battle expected between the two parties, especially during the conflict between the Prime Minister and President, which was shown as a conflict in parliament.

He told el-Marje’ that although the merger’s influence on the the parliamentary blocs as Nidaa Tounes became the second in the parliamentary scene, Ennahdha still maintain the same first rank politically and parliamentary.

“But it seems that Ennahdha has begun to look at this merger with great apprehension, as the new political alliance could include” Tunisia Project” movement, headed by Mohsen Marzouq. Thus, it will have two options: either to resolving its situation with the president, which means pulling the rug from under the feet of Al-Shahed, or remain in the same situation; which means more isolation,” he said.

The Tunisian political analyst also said that the movement presents itself as the protector of the interests of the West in Tunisia, that’s why it supported the Prime Minister remain in power.