Tunisia's Ennahda says to participate in Essid Govt

The Shura Council of Tunisia’s Ennahda Movement said on Saturday that it would participate in the government now being formed by Tunisia’s new Prime Minister Habib Essid.

“A majority of the members of the Shura Council voted for participation in the government of Habib Essid,” Fathi al-Ayadi, the head of the council said, following a meeting in the northeastern city of Hammamet.

He added that the executive office of the movement was assigned the job of coordinating with other parties and the Prime Minister on this participation and the distribution of ministerial portfolios.

Essid met a few days ago with some of the leaders of Ennahda Movement to convince them to participate in the government, Houcine Jaziri, a senior movement leader said late on Friday.

Ennahda won 69 seats in Tunisia’s parliament during the parliamentary election, which took place on October 26, of 2014.

Its rival movement, Nidaa Tounes, won 86 seats in parliament.

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Monday asked Essid to form the new Tunisian government.

The new Prime Minister should form the government within a month from his appointment, according to the Tunisian constitution.