Tunisia: Ennahda pulls out of cabinet lineup

The Ennahda movement on Saturday afternoon announced their decision to pull out of the Fakhfakh government formation and not to give it confidence in parliament.

Ennahda Saturday refused to back Fakhfaskh’s proposed government on the grounds that it excludes parliament second largest party, Heart of Tunisia of former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui.

 

Prime Minister-designate Elyes Fakhfakh told Watania 1 TV channel that the Ennahda movement, which he described as “the main partner”, had “chosen one hour before the announcement of the cabinet lineup to pull out of the proposed formation and refused to give confidence to the government, due to the non-involvement of the Qalb Tounes party in the government coalition.”

 

The leading party in the Tunisia parliament, which holds 54 seats out of 217, Sunday said it will not take part in new talks with Prime Minister-designate to endow the country with a new cabinet following October elections.

The moderate Islamist party’s spokesman, Imed Khemiri, said Ennahda will not enter into talks with Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh if the former finance minister sticks to his guns not form a unity government that excludes no party, Tunisie Numerique reports.

Karoui’s party and several movements refused to endorse the proposed government – plunging the country into further crisis and possibility of snap elections.

The North African country has been without a cabinet since October legislatives won by Ennahda, but with no majority rule to form a cabinet. Habib Jemli, an independent nominated by the Islamist movement to form a cabinet failed in January to win the parliament vote of confidence.