Tunisia’s 25 July party calls for dissolving Ennahda Movement 

Tunisian 25 July movement yesterday called for the “dissolution of the Islamic Ennahda movement, the departure of the previous regime, and the achievement of the goals of the July 25 move.”

The movement’s spokesperson, Farouk Khalfaoui, told reporters that his party rejected “foreign interference in Tunisian internal affairs, especially by Turkey,” calling for the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador.

“We demand the President, Kais Saied, expel the former regime,” Khalfaoui said, claiming that the regime was “during a time where people had starved, and marginalisation and unemployment had prevailed.”

He demanded an “urgent trial” against former Parliament Speaker and head of the Ennahda Party, Rached Ghannouchi.

The official also called for the “establishment  of a new constitution.”

READ: Turkey’s AK party expresses ‘regret’ over Tunisia parliament dissolution

Saied has held nearly total power since 25 July when he sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority citing a national emergency.

He appointed a prime minister on 29 September and a government has since been formed. In December, Saied announced that a referendum will be held on 25 July to consider ‘constitutional reforms’ and elections would follow in December 2022.

The majority of the country’s political parties slammed the move as a “coup against the constitution” and the achievements of the 2011 revolution. Critics say Saied’s decisions have strengthened the powers of the presidency at the expense of parliament and the government, and that he aims to transform the country’s government into a presidential system.

On more than one occasion, Saied, who began a five-year presidential term in 2019, said that his exceptional decisions are not a coup, but rather measures within the framework of the constitution to protect the state from “imminent danger”.