Al-Ghannouchi re-elected head of Al-Nahda in Tunisia

Sheikh Rashid Al-Ghannouchi was re-elected as the leader of Tunisia’s ruling Al-Nahda Party on Monday during the 9th Convention of the party’s General Committee. The convention was the first to be held in Tunis since 1988.

Sheikh Al-Ghannouchi was declared to be the winner of the leadership election, with 73 per cent of the 1,025 votes cast by those who participated in the meeting, which was held in Qasr Al-Ma’rad.

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At 71 years old, Al-Ghannouchi is the most prominent founder of his party which is affiliated ideologically with the Muslim Brotherhood. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death twice in Tunis during previous dictatorial regimes. He fled to Britain and was granted leave to remain indefinitely by the British government.

After the success of the Tunisian revolution last year, like most Tunisian activists and opposition leaders, he returned to his homeland. Although he did not stand for election to public office, Al-Nahda Party achieved a major victory in the first post-revolution democratic election.