Ghannouchi: Istanbul elections are proof of Turkey's democracy

The Head of Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, has praised the democracy in Turkey, saying that the result of the re-run of the Istanbul mayoral election is proof that there is a democratic climate in the country.

In an interview with Hannibal TV, a private Tunisian TV channel, on Sunday evening, Ghannouchi described Turkey as a “friendly country” to Tunisia, pointing out that it is one of the most prominent supporters of the Tunisian popular revolution that toppled the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

Ghannouchi referred to the reactions of some political circles in Tunisia, especially leftist opponents, who have suggested that the results of the  re-run of Istanbul mayor election on 23 June  as a “defeat” for the ruling Justice and Development Party and therefore “the end of political Islam”, describing such logic as unjustified gloating.”

He added: “Some parties in Tunisia deal with others on the basis of a sense of gloating. They tend to exaggerate and overreact. So they consider that if some political party loses a municipality, it loses power, which is a superfluous and exaggerated way of analysis.”

READ: US closes embassy in Tunisia due to ‘security concerns’

On the contrary, Ghannouchi considered the Justice and Development Party’s loss of the Istanbul mayor position as proof that turkey is a democracy, where the ruling party loses in elections against the opposition.

He said that “this loss means that Erdogan is not a dictator, but rather a democratic ruler.”

Ghannouchi challenged those who are talking about the results of the Istanbul mayoral elections and said: “Show me another example of the Turkish model in the neighbouring countries, such as Syria and other states. Can those countries hold elections in which the ruling party loses control of the capital?”

He pointed out that one needs to take in consideration when evaluating the results of the Ankara mayoral elections that the majority of the municipalities of the districts of the Turkish capital, where 17 million people live, were won by the Justice and Development Party. Thus, the same happened in the Ankara municipality where the ruling party lost against the opposition, but still won the majority of seats in most of the districts’ municipalities.

Ghannouchi continued: “Those who are rejoicing the loss of Justice and Development Party of the Ankara mayoral elections should consider that if things go in a democratic way in a country like Turkey, Erdogan will remain in office until 2023.”

The leader of the Ennahda movement called on his leftist opponents not to take their dispute outside Tunisia.

He indicated: “Turkey stood with our revolution and gave us aid and significant loans. Turkey is a friendly country. Why do we externalize our internal dispute to the world, making the Islamic current, which is a rising trend worldwide, a rival to Tunisia?”

He asserted: “We are not opponents to the left. Although we are rivals to the Tunisian left, we are not in dispute with the leftists worldwide.”

On the charges of former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to the State of Qatar of intervening with the affairs of Tunisia, Ghannouchi commented: “No one assigned him as an official spokesman on behalf of Tunisia. Tunisia’s spokesman is the head of the state, not the president of Mauritania, whose mandate has ended. He needs to mind his business. Qatar is one major investor in Tunisia, as Qatari investors pumped 480 million Tunisian dinars (about $200 million) in Tunisian economy last year.