Ghannouchi likely to vie in 2019 poll: Tunisia's Ennahda

A spokesman for Tunisia’s Ennahda movement said Thursday that Rashid al-Ghannouchi would likely be the movement’s preferred candidate in 2019 presidential polls.

Ennahda spokesman Emad al-Houmairi told Anadolu Agency that the issue had not yet been formally discussed by the movement’s decision-making bodies.

But, he added, as movement co-founder, al-Ghannouchi would likely emerge as Ennahda’s favoured presidential nominee.

According to Ennahda’s founding charter, the head of the movement can run in presidential elections as long as Ennahda’s executive council approves his or her candidacy.

Read: Tunisia’s Ennahda claims victory in landmark local elections

In Tunisia’s 6 May local election, independent candidates won the highest number of local council seats.

Ennahda came in second place with 2,139 seats, followed by the liberal Nidaa Tounes party (1,600 seats) and the leftist Popular Front (261 seats).

According to Tunisia’s electoral calendar, the next presidential poll is slated for late 2019.