Tunisia: Ennahda suspends ex-minister

The leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, has suspended the membership of former minister Imed Hammami and referred him to the disciplinary committee because of what he described as “repeated transgressions of the movement’s policy.” This follows statements made by Hammami in which he supported the exceptional measures approved by President Kais Saied in July.

“The exceptional measures taken by President Saied represent an earthquake and a positive shock,” said Hammami. “The head of state has assumed his historic responsibility to make Tunisia stronger and bring it back to the context of finding a solution.”

Earlier this week, Saied said that he was counting on “the sincerity of a number of people” but regretted that “this was a losing bet, as their purpose was not to endorse the state, but to search for power and privileges.” He added that he was not afraid of those he referred to as, “The parties that negotiate and manipulate and buy with money some of the mercenaries they brought from abroad.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union, the largest union in the country, has called for the formation of a transparent and consistent government. This should be put in place “as soon as possible,” insisted Sami Tahiri.

Ennahda has this week acknowledged its responsibility for the political crisis in the country, alongside the other parties that participated in government.

READ: For some in Tunisia the devil is better than Ennahda