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Tunisian expert warns against repercussions of Nidaa Tounes’s internal divisions

November 23, 2015 at 3:03 pm

The head of the Tunisia Centre for Strategic Studies, Dr Mokhtar Zaghdoud, has warned that the escalation of conflict between the two camps within the Nidaa Tounes party could hinder the process of democratic transition and possibly result in a repeat of the Egyptian scenario in Tunisia.

Zaghdoud, a former parliamentary candidate and leading member of the Ennahda Party, told Quds Press that the divisions currently marring Nidaa Tounes do not serve the country’s fledgling democracy.

Zaghdoud said that the situation of the ruling party is posing a new reality for the entire political scene in the country. He warned that the Tunisian political arena could be negatively affected by Nidaa Tounes’s divisions.

Zaghdoud said that the divisions indicate “irresponsibility” on the party’s part, coming as they do at such a critical time for the country and the entire region. The party’s divisions are “pushing the political process [in Tunisia] toward the unknown,” he added.

“Every camp [in the party] possesses enough elements of strength to prolong the battle, which could strongly hinder the democratic transition experience,” he said, warning against Tunisia descending into the Egyptian scenario.

Divisions have cast a dark shadow on Nidaa Tounes after the failure of attempts by the party’s acting head Mohamed Al-Nasser to reconcile the two camps – one camp is led by the party’s secretary-general Mohsen Marzouk, while the is led by the son of the Tunisian president, Hafhed Caid Essebsi.