Tunisian parties unite to fight PM’s decision

A number of parties from the Tunisian parliament may unite to fight against Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali’s decision to dissolve the cabinet and form a technocratic government.  The Prime Minister’s plan was announced yesterday in response to the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, who was shot as he was getting into his car on Wednesday. The decision has caused outrage among Tunisia’s ruling political party, the Ennahda Movement which rejected the proposal, stating that the Prime Minister did not consult the coalition nor the ruling party before making his decision. The head of the Nahda Party has called for all other groups such as the Wafaa Movement, Mottamer Party and Freedom and Dignity Party to unite against the dissolution of parliament. The Nahda Party has also called upon the people of Tunisia to come together and bring an end to the current situation that is threatening to overthrow the country’s government. Key political figures including Mangy el-Rahoi, member of the Constituent Council, have condemned Prime Minister Jebali’s move, saying that it has caused the parliament to lose its legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Furthermore, a number of parliamentarians have suspended their membership in response to the current situation, including National Union Party representative Abdel-Satar el Deify. Head of the Public Movement of Arida, Ayman el-Zawaghy, has called for the Prime Minister and the country’s government to resign for failing to provide security for the Tunisian public. He went on to say that it is unacceptable for the government to be dissolved without the exclusion of its leader. Meanwhile the representatives of the opposition party withdrew from the Constituent Council to discuss the political violence which has shaken the country since the assassination of its leader.