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| Tunisia prime minister warns of chaos amid crunch talks to save coalition | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Tunisia's transitional coalition government hung in the balance on Sunday after a key secular party threatened to withdraw, and the moderate Islamist prime minister held crunch talks with his ruling Ennahda party over replacing certain ministers to calm tensions in the wake of the murder of opposition leader Chokri Belaïd. | |
| The prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, said in a TV interview this weekend that his proposed reshuffle towards a non-political, caretaker government that would run Tunisia until elections could take place was the only way to soothe unrest or the country risked "a swing into chaos". | |
| The murder of Belaïd, a left-leaning lawyer and outspoken critic of the government, who was shot dead outside his home last week has shocked Tunisia and left the government reeling. It has heightened tension in the small Maghreb nation seen as the posterchild for the Arab spring after it ousted its leader Ben Ali following 23 years of dictatorship in January 2011 with far less bloodshed and turmoil than countries such as Egypt or Libya. | |
| There is as yet little detail on Belaïd's murder. There has been no claim of responsibility to it and there is no clear indication of who may have been behind it. In a country with a mistrusted police force and justice system which remain largely unreformed since the revolution, there has been outrage at what represents a new kind of political murder: an assassination in broad daylight of a type not seen in Tunisia since colonial times. | |
| Mokhtar Yahyaoui, a judge and human rights activist who has sat on the Council for the Safeguard of the Revolution said: "There is a fear in political life which is a real challenge to Tunisia. It's essential for a full investigation, for us to know who is behind it, to put a line under it and calm everyone." | Mokhtar Yahyaoui, a judge and human rights activist who has sat on the Council for the Safeguard of the Revolution said: "There is a fear in political life which is a real challenge to Tunisia. It's essential for a full investigation, for us to know who is behind it, to put a line under it and calm everyone." |
| Since Tunisia's first free elections in October 2011, the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, which translates as Renaissance, has headed a coalition government with two centre-left secular parties, in a transition process seen as a model for the region. But the government is bogged down by political stalemate. Parliament's main role was to draw up a new constitution within a year, but that deadline has passed amid differences between secular parties and the Islamist movement on the future shape of nation, and what place religion should have in public life. | Since Tunisia's first free elections in October 2011, the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, which translates as Renaissance, has headed a coalition government with two centre-left secular parties, in a transition process seen as a model for the region. But the government is bogged down by political stalemate. Parliament's main role was to draw up a new constitution within a year, but that deadline has passed amid differences between secular parties and the Islamist movement on the future shape of nation, and what place religion should have in public life. |
| After Belaïd's death, Jebali's initial emergency proposal to completely dissolve government and replace politicians with technocrats sparked tensions within Ennahda, of which he is secretary general. In what appeared to be a rebuke to Jebali from within his own party, Ennahda said there had been no consultation on the plan. The proposed government changes appeared to highlight differences within the party between moderates and hardliners. Jebali then scaled back his proposal to a reshuffle, which is expected this week. If it is rejected, he has said he will resign. | |
| On Sunday, the president Moncef Marzouki's centre-left, secular Congress for the Republic party said it would withdraw three ministers from cabinet, dealing a further blow to the government and heightening uncertainty. A spokesman for Marzouki's party said the withdrawal was linked to its long-running, unmet demands for cabinet changes. But a final decision by the party was only expected on Monday. | |
| On Saturday, thousands held an Ennahda party, pro-government rally in central Tunis after tens of thousands had taken to the streets on Friday for Belaïd's funeral, many shouting anti-government slogans and accusing Ennahda of a lax approach to the increasing political violence in Tunisia. | On Saturday, thousands held an Ennahda party, pro-government rally in central Tunis after tens of thousands had taken to the streets on Friday for Belaïd's funeral, many shouting anti-government slogans and accusing Ennahda of a lax approach to the increasing political violence in Tunisia. |
| At the Ennahda rally, some party members criticised plans for a caretaker technocrat cabinet, saying that legitimate politicians should lead government and Islamists had already made too many concessions to opposition demands. Lotfi Zitoun, a senior party official told the crowd: "We are here to support legitimacy, but if you prefer the power of the street, look at the streets today. We have this power." | At the Ennahda rally, some party members criticised plans for a caretaker technocrat cabinet, saying that legitimate politicians should lead government and Islamists had already made too many concessions to opposition demands. Lotfi Zitoun, a senior party official told the crowd: "We are here to support legitimacy, but if you prefer the power of the street, look at the streets today. We have this power." |