Today's Edition
AHMED MURAD (TUNIS, CAIRO)
The Tunisian presidential elections, scheduled for the upcoming autumn, mark a decisive step toward crafting a new political landscape devoid of the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence.
Despite this, the Ennahda movement continues to disseminate falsehoods and unfounded claims, facing increasing political and public backlash for its efforts to disrupt and mislead the electoral process.
Salma Al Saeedi, a professor at the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Management of Tunisian University, told Aletihad that Ennahda’s presence in the political arena will vanish post-elections, as its endeavours to hinder the electoral proceedings will fail.
The Independent High Authority for Elections, led by Farouk Bouaskar, assured that the elections would occur as planned.
Following the establishment of the National Council for Regions and Districts in April, the Election Commission will outline the election schedule and open the floor for nominations.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has reaffirmed that the presidential elections will unfold without delay, highlighting that calls for boycotting the parliamentary, regional, and district elections stem from a singular focus on the presidency.
Al Saeedi noted that the movement has lost all popular support, signalling a shift toward a Brotherhood-free political landscape, a move welcomed by the people.
This transition is bolstered by public confidence in President Saied and a keen awareness of the nation’s liberation efforts, as reflected in surveys, despite opposition attempts to sway the presidential vote through slander and pressure. The constitution of July 2022 mandates that the president be elected every five years by a general vote, requiring an absolute majority, within the final three months of the term.
Tunisian political activist Sahib Al Mazriqi explained that the Brotherhood has tried to undermine the state throughout the “black decade” of political dominance, which made the people strongly support the president’s measures and decisions to defeat the Brotherhood and their project.
Speaking to Aletihad, Al Mazriqi said that Ennahda is trying to smear the democratic process with baseless accusations and adopting a stance of contrived victimisation while seeking backing from adversarial international entities.
The participation of the Brotherhood and its media arms in a strategy to influence international public opinion to tarnish Tunisia is evidence of their role in the crisis with the International Monetary Fund, he added.
