Tunisian President Kais Saied said those who think there can be a return to the status quo ante are “deluded” following a request from Ennahda party.
“Anyone who chooses to believe that I could be going back to where things used to be is deluded,” he said during an impromptu session with security and customs officials at Tunis Carthage Airport.
Saied also dismissed related calls for a roadmap and for the type of dialogue that some “imagine can be organised”.
He said, however, that a prime minister would be appointed, soon.
On July 25, the Tunisian leader suspended parliament and dismissed, the prime minister using emergency powers granted to him by the constitution.
Ennahda called Monday on the president to expedite the appointment of a prime minister and to lift the suspension of parliament.
The tone and substance of its statement were seen by analysts as a return to escalation as the Islamist party has continued to waver between accepting the post-July 25 situation as a fait accompli and attempting to challenge the emergency powers wielded by Saied.
Some analysts linked the escalation to the party’s disappointment over the results of a visit last week by a senior US delegation to Tunisia.
The delegation did not back Ennahda’s demands while acknowledging the popular support enjoyed by Saied’s actions.
In its statement, Ennahda specifically demanded the lifting of the parliament’s suspension, the appointment of a competent prime minister, the end of what it described as the “siege” imposed on government headquarters and a quick return to the constitution.
In a statement following a meeting of its executive bureau on Monday, Ennahda said, “The continued failure to name a prime minister and end the siege of (the government) headquarters disrupt the normal functioning of the state and hinder the interests of citizens.”
The movement called on President Saied to “lift the suspension of the Tunisian parliament and quickly return to the implementation of the constitution and end the grave breaches that poses for the continuation of our democratic experience”.
It also called on him to halt “violation of rights and freedoms and infringement on the most basic principles of the republic and the separation of powers.”
Neji Jalloul, Secretary-General of the Tunisian National Coalition party, said that “Ennahda’s escalation against the president is an expected move” stemming from the realisation of its problems with the Tunisian public.
He explained that, “President Saied revealed the weakness of the internally-fractured movement” that has “come to its end socially” but still insists on portraying itself as “a political force to be reckoned with.”
Jelloul added that the visiting US delegation refused to meet Ennahda despite the “insistence” of the Islamist party.
Political activist Rafaa Tabib said that “there are indications that President Saeed intends to move towards activating the democratic path” while “marginalising” Ennahda.
Tabib believes, “The movement’s statement is not only directed at Kais Saied, but also at the rest of the political parties. Ennahda does not want to fight this fight alone and is looking for allies. It has even started courting some businessmen.”
The apparent attempt by Ennahda to seek US support has provoked angry reactions in Tunisia as a number of parties and politicians expressed their rejection of “foreign interference in domestic affairs”.
The president, last Friday, welcomed a US delegation headed by Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer which included Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood.
According to a statement issued by the president’s office, Saied told his American visitors there is “no reason to worry about the values of freedom, justice and democracy, which Tunisia shares with US society.”
The emergency measures, added the presidency statement, were introduced “in implementation of the constitution and to meet the wide popular will, especially considering the political, economic and social crises and widespread corruption and graft.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
