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| Tunisian president's party 'to withdraw from coalition' | Tunisian president's party 'to withdraw from coalition' |
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| Tunisia's transitional coalition government hung in the balance on Sunday after President Moncef Marzouki's key secular party, the Congress for the Republic (CPR), said its ministers would withdraw. Meanwhile 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. | Tunisia's transitional coalition government hung in the balance on Sunday after President Moncef Marzouki's key secular party, the Congress for the Republic (CPR), said its ministers would withdraw. Meanwhile 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 CPR said the withdrawal was linked to its long-running demands for cabinet changes. A party leader told the state-run TAP news agency that the withdrawal would be confirmed on Monday. | |
| The shooting dead last week of Chokri Belaïd, a left-leaning lawyer and outspoken critic of the government, has shocked Tunisia and left the government reeling. It has heightened tension in the small Maghreb nation seen as the poster child 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 has been no claim of responsibility to it and there is no clear indication of who may have been behind it. The prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, said in a TV interview this weekend that his proposed reshuffle towards a non-political, caretaker government which that would run Tunisia until elections could take place was the only way to soothe unrest or the country risked "a swing into chaos". 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. | There has been no claim of responsibility to it and there is no clear indication of who may have been behind it. The prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, said in a TV interview this weekend that his proposed reshuffle towards a non-political, caretaker government which that would run Tunisia until elections could take place was the only way to soothe unrest or the country risked "a swing into chaos". 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 plans to a reshuffle, which is expected this week. If it is rejected, he has said he would resign. | |
| 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." |