Tunisia’s Ennahda discusses local elections

The Tunisian centre-right Ennahda party launched yesterday evening the proceedings of its eighth meeting of its consultative Shura Council to discuss several issues, including local and partisan election legislation.

According to a report on Ennadha’s official website, Ennahda officials would also discuss the movement’s plan and the Shura Council’s agenda for 2017. In addition, they would discuss several reports about the performance of the executive bureau of the movement, the Shura Council and the other committees.

Speaking to Quds Press, Ennahda Shura Council member Jalal Al-Warae said: “The political and economic situation in Tunisia is passing decisive moments due to the election law being incomplete, which is supposed to guarantee the holding of local and municipal elections which should take place this year.”

He also said that the Shura Council would discuss the general political situation in the country, as well as the political and economic challenges facing Tunisians. Al-Warae said that his party would approve a general plan designed to deal with several crises faced by the country, and particularly the economic one.

Local elections in 350 municipalities distributed among 24 governorates should take place this year as the first municipal elections after the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.

The elections should have been carried out last October, but were put off to 26 March due to legislative issues relating to electoral laws. This has led to Tunisians, including Ennahda, to doubt that the elections will be held on time due to the fact that the election law reforms have not been approved yet.

Quds Press reported monitors and analysts as saying that the elections may have been intentionally delayed, fearing that Ennahda would dominate the municipalities due to the internal differences inside its rival movement and partner in government, Nidaa Tounes.