Politics

Tunisia-Chhoudi warns against amending Ennahdha’s internal rules in favor of additional mandate for Ghannouchi

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Tunisian Islamist Ennahda party, checks his ballot behind a booth at a polling station in Ben Arous near the capital Tunis on May 6, 2018, as the country votes in the first free municipal elections since the 2011 revolution. - Tunisians head to the polls on May 6 in what is seen as another milestone on the road to democracy in the birthplace of the Arab Spring, despite muted interest in the poll as struggles with corruption and poverty continue. Though parliamentary and presidential votes have taken place since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, municipal polls have been delayed four times due to logistic, administrative and political deadlocks. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

Zoubaier Chhoudi, member of the Ennahdha movement and spokesperson for the group of 100 which rejects the extension of Rached Ghannouchi’s term as head of the party, warned against any amendment of Ennahdha’s internal regulations in favour of renewed of the latter at the head of this political formation.

“All means are being considered,” he said in a statement to TAP, suggesting that justice will be seized, in case the party’s rules of procedure are amended.

According to him, the collective which opposes the reappointment of Rached Ghannouchi at the head of Ennahdha, has an “important” weight within the main structures of the party, particularly, within the Council of the Shura and of the executive board.

Chhoudi stressed that the initiative put forward by the chairman of the Shoura council Abdelkrim Harouni and the leader Rafik Abdessalem will be examined by the various structures of the party before it is referred to the Shura council.
“Only the Ennhdha Shura is empowered to change the party’s rules of procedure,” he insisted.

The president of the movement Ennahdha Rached Ghannouchi had stressed that the question of his candidacy for an additional mandate would be “settled” at the next party congress, reaffirming his commitment to respect the internal regulations in force.

“The question of my candidacy for a new term as head of Ennahdha is premature,” he said in a statement to TAP.
Ghannouchi said he respected the opinion of some leaders of the movement who oppose his candidacy, referring to the (group of 100 leaders), deeming normal the diversification of opinions before each party convention.