Tunisia: Rached Ghannouchi announced his intention to run for upcoming presidential elections

A source close to the Tunisian Ennahda told Quds Press International News Agency that the head of the movement, Rached Ghannouchi, plans to run for the presidential elections scheduled for the end of this year (2019).

The source, who asked not to be named, said that Ghannouchi consulted with some Ennahda leaders and public figures in Tunisia about running for the upcoming elections.

He pointed out that Ennahda leader “has already decided, and will raise the issue during the next Shura Council meeting of the movement.”

He noted that Ghannouchi spoke with former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki to ensure his support and the absence of conflict between the two parties, “but Marzouki rejected the idea and confirmed that he would run for elections even if Ghannouchi ran for office.”

Tunisia: Transitional justice process hindered by political tensions

The head of the Tunisian Ennahda Movement Rached Ghannouchi announced a few days ago that his movement would officially participate in the presidential elections scheduled for the end of this year. He said that he “is not personally interested in candidacy,” and at the same time confirmed that running for presidential elections is not a personal matter, but an issue decided by his party and emphasised that the law does not prevent him from running for the presidency.

The spokesman of Ennahda movement, Imad Al-Khemiri, said several months ago that Ghannouchi “has all the means to be president of the republic and that he is free from any legal impediment to running for the presidential elections of 2019.”

It is a statement that was considered by the media at the time, a “political turning point” of Ennahda movement, which did not present any candidate in the 2014 elections.