Rached Ghannouchi - The African Mirror

Apr

2022

Tunisian crisis: Police summon opposition leaders

TAREK AMARA and ANGUS MCDOWALL TUNISIAN anti-terrorism police summoned the country's main opposition figure for questioning on Friday, as a political crisis deepens in the wake of President Kais Saied's move to dissolve parliament and impose one-man rule. Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist Ennahda party and speaker of the dissolved parliament, was summoned to appear later on Friday, his office said, after investigations were opened into other members of the chamber who had defied Saied. Saied demanded that investigations be carried out after members of parliament held an online session on Wednesday and voted to revoke all the emergency…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisia’s parliament speaker leaves hospital

NEWS

TUNISIA’S parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party that has had an influential national role for a decade, left the hospital hours after he was admitted on Sunday, two advisers said, in the midst of a major political crisis. Ghannouchi, 80, has led opposition to last week's move by President Kais Saied to seize governing powers, dismiss the prime minister and freeze parliament, steps that the Ennahda leader quickly branded a coup. His advisers did not say what was wrong with Ghannouchi, who was hospitalised for a week last month with COVID-19. "After a few hours…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisia’s Islamist ‘chameleon’ contests what he calls a coup

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ANGUS McDOWALL and TAREK AMARA TUNISIA’S Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi has quickly emerged as the main opponent of President Kais Saied's efforts to reshape the country's politics, branding his dismissal of the government as a coup. On Monday morning, hours after Saied -- a political independent -- shut down parliament and deployed soldiers around it Ghannouchi waited outside, demanding to be let in. "I am 80 years old and throughout my life I have fought against volatility," he said. Ghannouchi, head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which has played a role in successive coalitions, has come to personify Tunisian…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Reactions to Tunisia’s democratic crisis

NEWS

TUNISIAN President Kais Saied has sacked the prime minister and froze the activities of parliament, leading his opponents to accuse him of a coup. This is a selection of what significant players in and outside Tunisia, where regional opinion was often split between states that are friendly or hostile to Islamist ideology, had to say. Tunisian President Kais Saïed. Photo source: Wikipedia THE PRESIDENT Saied said his actions were in line with the constitution, a response to "hypocrisy, treachery and robbery of the rights of the people" by the political class and denied conducting a coup. He warned that violent…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisian in turmoil, govt sacked, parly suspended

NEWS

TAREK AMARA and ANGUS McDOWALL TUNISIA is facing the worst crisis in its decade of democracy after President Kais Saied ousted the government and suspended parliament with help from the army, a move denounced as a coup by the country's main parties, including Islamists. He extended some existing measures aimed at countering the pandemic, including a curfew and internal travel bans, but which would also have the effect of dampening street opposition. Saied's action followed months of deadlock and disputes pitting him against Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and a fragmented parliament as Tunisia descended into an economic crisis exacerbated by…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisian parliament speaker contracts COVID-19

COVID-19

THE speaker of Tunisia's parliament and the leader of the Islamist Ennahda Party, Rached Ghannouchi, has contracted COVID-19, an advisor to Ghannouchi has told Reuters. Ghannouchi, 80, is at home and will work remotely, the advisor said. Ghannouchi, the leader of the biggest party in the parliament, received two doses of an anti-COVID vaccine this year. Tunisia is seeing a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, with intensive care wards almost full, health authorities said, after successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year. In total, Tunisia has recorded more than 500,000 coronavirus cases and about 16,500 deaths.

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Tunisia’s parliament speaker narrowly survives confidence vote

NEWS

TUNISIA's parliament speaker narrowly survived a confidence vote on Thursday, but his slim margin of victory may only deepen the country's political divisions after the resignation of the prime minister. Some 97 members of parliament voted against Rached Ghannouchi, veteran leader of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, falling short of the 109 needed to oust him. However, with Ennahda and the conservative Karama party boycotting the vote to show their opposition to the motion, only 16 MPs gave him formal support. Ghannouchi's narrow margin of victory may indicate that Ennahda will now face fiercer opposition in parliament from parties that…