Tunisia: political storm after Rached Ghannouchi's position on Libya

Text by: RFI Follow

Assembly President Rached Ghannouchi at the heart of a plenary assembly Wednesday, June 3, after his controversial position in favor of the Libyan president of the Government of national unity in defiance of the Tunisian strategy of non-interference in the neighboring conflict.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Tunis , Michel Picard

A telephone interview in May, revealed by the Libyan presidency in which Rached Ghannouchi congratulates Fayez el-Sarraj for his military victory over the troops of Marshal Haftar sparked the anger of part of the opposition .

The President of the Tunisian Assembly has encroached on the prerogatives of President Kaïs Saïed, guarantor of Tunisian diplomacy. And questioned the official position of Tunis which has always hitherto kept an equal distance from the protagonists of the ongoing conflict on its south-eastern border.

The leader of the Islamist party Ennahdha has, according to his detractors, made the game of Turkey, of which he is reputed to be close. By intervening in diplomatic affairs, the sheikh urged several parties to demand clear explanations for these uncoordinated diplomatic efforts.

Rached Ghannouchi, the day before the hearing to which he was subject, took good care, in an interview with Al-Jazeera , to point the finger at the Gulf countries, without directly quoting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, actors keys to the Libyan conflict and opponents of Ankara.

The PDL, a fiercely anti-Islamist party that has taken the lead in the slingshot , wanted to take the opportunity to question the very legitimacy of the President of the Assembly.

While Rached Ghannouchi is unlikely to be sidelined in the short term from the hemicycle, he has not only weakened his political position, but above all he has made the Bardo a sounding board for the Libyan conflict. A feat the country would have done well while instability reigns in Tripoli.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Tunisia
• Libya

On the same subject

Tunisia: Rached Ghannouchi's positions on Libya spark controversy and anger

Tunisia: crossfire against Rached Ghannouchi