Tunisia: Ennhadha Refuses to Sign Contract Memo of Prime Minister; Calls for a Unity Gvt

Tunisian parliament leading party Ennhadha has refused to sign the contract memorandum submitted by Prime Minister designate to parties taking part in consultations on the next government’s program.

Ennahda blames nominal PM Elyes Fakhfakh for not heeding the moderate Islamist movement’s call for a unity government.

 

While the former finance minister refuses to integrate 9alb Tounes (Heart of Tunisia) party of presidential candidate Nabil Karoui in his team, Ennahda leader and speaker of the parliament, Rashid Ghannouchi, demands the inclusion of the second parliamentary force in view of forming a unity government that displays the various parties in the legislature.

Ennahdah last week indicated it would not give parliament approval to the future cabinet line-up to be proposed by Fakhfakh if the latter does not heed his call for the formation of a unity government.

 

“Our party is committed to a government of national unity, which excludes only those who exclude themselves,” a member of the Ennahda said.

“We want a government with broad parliamentary and party support…”

 

The National Council of Qalb Tounes party has called on the Prime Minister-designate and the President of the Republic to “assume their responsibilities and to redress the situation as soon as possible, in order to form a national unity government and renounce the exclusionary approach”.

 

Osama Khelifi, MP and leader in Qalb Tounes told reporters on the sidelines of the the party’s National Council meeting on Monday evening in Gammarth, “PM-designate Elyes Fakhfakh is not in a position to form the cabinet, especially after his refusal to form the national unity government most parties were calling for, along with Qalb Tounes since the beginning of the consultations,” reported TAP news agency.

 

“The repercussions of this approach will be serious for the country,” he said, noting that “to save Tunisia as soon as possible, all parties, including Qalb Tounes, must sit down together”.

 

He recalled that his party had warned that “this approach is erroneous” and advised “to return to electoral legitimacy” and favor national unity, bringing together parliamentary blocs that can provide the government with a chance to gain confidence with strong political support that can help it to find solutions to citizens’ problems.

 

He stressed that the Qalb Tounes party will make its decision on whether or not to vote for the Elyes Fakhfakh government “at the appropriate time”, and within the official party structures.

The parties that took part in consultations on the next government’s program Monday made proposals that will be taken into consideration in reformulating the document.

A new consultation session will be held on Thursday to review the amended version of the contract memorandum, before negotiations on the composition of the next government begin.

Snap elections would be held if the Prime Minister fails to win a confidence vote in the parliament.