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Ennahda: Essebsi is not removing us from power

April 12, 2017 at 5:01 pm

Members of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement have rejected statements by two members of Nidaa Tounes which claimed that President Beji Cayed Essebsi has pledged to disengage from Ennahda in the upcoming elections.

Farid Al-Baji, who has recently joined Nidaa Tounes, claimed that Essebsi promised him that he would remove Ennahda from power.

Al-Baji added that Nidaa Tounes can run for municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections alone.

Another member who has recently joined Nidaa Tounes, Borhen Bsais, also called on members of his movement to “prepare for the post-2014 elections with the aim of disengaging with the Ennahda movement”.

Read: New political front in Tunisia declares hostility to Ennahda

Nidaa Tounes has said the claims are “false”.

Ennahda’s Ajmi Lourimi described the relationship between Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes as a partnership in governance, pointing out that no specific political content was given to this relationship.

He added that the strategic alliance between the two parties “needs a long time, although we have made great strides towards convergence and joint action in the government and parliament, and on the central and regional levels”.

“I do not think that President Essebsi would talk about a strategic party the way, Farid Al-Bajji has described.”