Ghannouchi launches Ennahda’s campaign for Tunisian Municipal Elections

Head of the Tunisian Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi has predicted that there would be an intense competition, which he described as “peaceful war”, during the first municipal elections since the 2011 revolution.

Ghannouchi was speaking during the opening of the municipal elections campaign of the movement in the region of Hraïria in the capital Tunis. 68 seats in the parliament out of 217 are open to the vote, which is scheduled for 6 May under the slogan “Your Municipality Is Your Responsibility” .

Ghannouchi said: “The future in Tunisia is suitable for democracy to be established on solid ground.” He described the upcoming municipal elections as “the age of reformation, consolidation of freedoms, democracy and the authority of the people.”

He stressed that “Tunisia has reached an important stage for local authority and that Ennahda Movement is one of the largest contributors in reaching this stage, despite many delays and obstacles”.

The head of the movement noted that Ennahda’s participation will be in 350 municipal departments, and that there would be an intense competition in what he called “peaceful and cold war” which he said it must abide by the laws.

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He also compared “Tunisia to a tent which is being set up on 7177 bases and future governors (the number of municipal seats the parties are competing for) and which will not be affected by the winds,” as he described it.

Ghannouchi pointed out that “Tunisia has started today to put the country on the path of freedom, progress and the policy of consensus. The revolution (2011) has led us to the world of civilization while other countries such as Syria, Egypt and Libya did not succeed in the compromises that would have probably avoided conflicts and wars.”

On the sidelines of the campaign’s opening, Souad Abderrahim, head of the candidate list for Ennahda Movement in the Tunis First Electoral Department (Tunis 1), told Anadolu News Agency that: “The next phase will be important in achieving decentralization in Tunisia and balance between agencies, municipalities and the local authorities, through the consolidation of people’s sovereignty to determine the development priorities in the interior regions.”

The campaigns of candidates in the first Tunisian municipal elections since the 2011 revolution have been officially launched on Saturday.

The campaigns will continue till May 4 and elections will be held on the 6th of the same month, as was decided in December 2017.

A few days ago, the Tunisian Independent High Authority for Elections announced that there are 2,074 lists that have been approved to compete in the municipal elections, including 1,055 party lists, 860 independent lists and 159 alliance lists.