After meeting the political parties .. Does Qais Said solve the dilemma of forming a government?

Amal Hilali - Tunisia

While the winning party in the legislative elections in Tunisia race against time to form a government in its constitutional deadlines; President Qais Said began his first consultation meetings with political parties, stressing the need to accelerate the formation of the government, and the adoption of the criterion of efficiency, not partisan quotas.

Said held a series of consultative meetings on Friday and Saturday, during which he received the President of the "Ennahda" Rashid Ghannouchi, and the head of the "Heart of Tunisia" Nabil Karoui, and met with leaders of the People's Movement, the coalition of dignity, long live Tunisia and the Democratic Current.

The political circles in Tunisia appreciated the role entrusted to the President of the Republic to bring together the political parties of the leaders of the winning parties in the legislative elections, and to find channels of dialogue among them in order to overcome the dilemma of forming a government.

While Ennahda insists on being the main constituent of the government as the winning party, other parties reject this proposal and call for the formation of a competent government away from partisan quotas, and that the President of the Republic has the final say in choosing the prime minister.

The spokesman for Ennahda movement Imad Khamiri in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that the meeting between Qais Said and Ghannouchi, was at the request of the latter, in the framework of the movement's keenness to involve the President of the Republic in the consultations being made by Ennahdha to push towards the formation of the government.

He ruled out - in return - the possibility of adopting the motion of some parties on the formation of what has become known as "the government of the President", pointing out that it is premature idea, and jumped on a constitutional station, which gives the renaissance to form a government as the winning party in the elections.

Consultations to form a government
He concluded that the declared positions of most parties refusing to be part of a government formed by Ennahdha are political positions for media consumption, announcing a series of consultations over the next week between these parties and the movement to evaluate the economic and social program that will be presented by the latter.

Many argue that Ennahdha's hold on its constitutional right to form and preside over the government, even if it cost her the failure to gain the confidence of the parliament and go towards the re-run of the entire legislative elections, is a kind of "political threat" to those who refused to engage in government formation consultations.

Under article 89 of the Tunisian constitution, the president of the republic will nominate the candidate of the party or coalition winning the largest number of parliamentary seats to form a government within a month renewed once.

Ennahda topped the results of the October 6 legislative elections, with 52 seats, followed by the Heart of Tunisia party with 38 seats, the Democratic Current with 22 seats, and the Dignity Coalition with 21 seats.

The Secretary General of the People's Movement Zuhair al-Maghazawi told Al Jazeera Net his meeting today with President Qais Said, in the framework of consultative meetings initiated by the President with the parties on the formation of the government.

Al-Maghzawi said that he explained to the President of the Republic their position rejecting the government proposed by Ennahdha, pointing out that the approach presented by the movement was tried in 2011, and proved its failure to achieve political and economic stability.

He considered - in return - that their vision of the "government of the President" does not necessarily give the President of the Republic absolute powers to form a government, but derives from the electoral legitimacy, which was brought by an absolute majority, as a platform to assemble political parties on a unified position and get out of the crisis of forming the government.

He pointed out that the President of the Republic had expressed a position of rejection of a government based on quotas and partisan loyalties, and must be based on clear programs and monthly accountability before Parliament, unlike previous governments.

He concluded that their party does not reject dialogue with any party, including Ennahda, in order to form a government, provided that they consult on programs and approaches, not on ministerial posts and narrow political and partisan interests.

The head of the party "heart of Tunisia" Nabil Karawi, in turn, met with the President of the Republic, and in this context, the leader of the party Hatem al-Maliki told Al-Jazeera Net that the meeting was at the invitation of Qais Said in the framework of consultation with the parties formed for the new parliament.

He revealed the leadership in the "heart of Tunisia" on the near-unanimous consensus between Said and Karoui on the need to find a political and parliamentary belt to support the next government, in order to ensure its stability and facilitate its work, praising the role played by the President to accelerate the formation of the government.