It was accelerated by the political crisis in Tunisia.. Internal pressure to renew the leadership in the Ennahda movement

Tunisia - The

current events in Tunisia have cast a shadow over the movement within the Ennahda movement, with leadership changes likely in its executive office, after a wide spectrum of Tunisians blamed the movement for the situation in the country under its rule 10 years ago, which the movement denies.

The National Youth Council of Al-Nahda called for the formation of a national leadership for salvation that includes youth competencies, and to be the beginning of the path of renewal in the executive leadership of the movement, to save the political path in the country.

The movement’s leader, Salim Basbas, explains that the trend towards change in Ennahda’s leaders was in the process of preparing for the new electoral conference, and that all the delays, compromises and internal consensus that occurred were towards holding an electoral conference based on smooth deliberation within the framework of the law and legitimacy.

more urgent

Besbas told Al Jazeera Net that the current events made this issue more urgent, especially with the political responsibility of the Ennahda movement, which "intersects with an internal demand towards the renewal of the leadership," supporting the proximity of the electoral conference that was to be held in late 2021.

The arrangement of the internal house of Ennahda strongly imposes itself, according to a member of the movement’s Shura Council, Qassoma Qassoma, “especially after the delay of its conference for more than a year, which is expected to assess the movement’s options and efficacy, especially against the background of the recent coup, and what has been strongly suggested in the past months about the necessity of leadership deliberation and the issue related to the party's social and economic vision.

Change is forced

As for the member of the National Youth Office of the movement, Wassim Al-Subaie, who is in charge of national organizations, believes that the fundamental change in the leadership of Ennahda is a “duty”, and “otherwise it would be in vain, because of the presence of leaders that led to the crisis, whether with the President of the Republic or the Tunisian people, by not responding to The popular demands of the youth are deaf to the reality of the situation of the Tunisian street.”

Al-Subaie added, to Al-Jazeera Net, that the youth office is pressing for change and for the formation of a committee to lead the crisis, "the youth have a long hand in it, and pressure towards the withdrawal of the faces that left sensitivity among the people... unlike the youth of the movement who picked up the message."

In turn, a member of the central office of the Ennahda movement, Somaya al-Ayari, confirms that the fundamental change in its leaders is the demand of everyone, and that they are seeking to do so while awaiting the convening of the movement's electoral conference.

Al-Ayari, in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, attributed this demand to "the people's rejection of the leadership that ruled 10 years ago and holding it responsible," adding that "a party that does not respond to the people's requests must stop because our strength and our presence are from the power of the people."

class unit

Regarding the National Youth Council’s call for the formation of a national leadership for salvation, a member of the movement’s Shura Council, Qassoma, stressed that the situation requires unity and support for the movement’s leader, although “I was and still am against his candidacy for any state responsibility, and I wished that he would give up the movement’s presidency as soon as he leads Parliament.”

Qassoma suggested electing a collective leadership that would manage the situation until the next conference and develop a plan to return the train of democratic experience to its tracks, by respecting the party's basic law, that is, through the elected Shura Council, which represents the highest authority between the two conferences.

Qassoma believed that "individual initiatives from some sectors, structures or individuals represent a convulsive psychological reaction that lacks experience in dealing with crises, and only contribute to the dispersal of efforts, and serve the movement's opponents."

Supporters of the Ennahda movement celebrate its victory in the October 2019 legislative elections (Al-Jazeera)

Message

On the other hand, Wassim Al-Subaiy explains that this call comes within the framework of interaction with recent events and the message of the youth that those who came out on July 25th are not all supporters of the regime of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

He stressed that the council and the youth office see what happened "as a youth supportive of Said who was convinced by his populist rhetoric, and only young people like them could address them, suffering their suffering and understanding their discourse and demands."

Al-Subaie added, "We will push for a change of the movement's chief staff immediately, and we will draw on young talents who have proven their ability to analyze soundly, speed up achievement, and assume their responsibilities."

For her part, Al-Ayari indicated that the National Office's call for young people to transfer my generation to leadership is old and urgent in Tunisia, with the aim of renewing with youthful faces, "in the hope that they will be more useful and giving."

As for Selim Basbas, he believes that “events do not precede the parties’ readiness,” and that “despite the change in the situation towards democracy based on pluralism, it is not possible to work on the path of democratic transition with weak parties that cannot fulfill their role as framed forces in political life, and assume their full responsibility in framework of power or opposition.

A previous meeting between Tunisian President Kais Saied (right) with Parliament Speaker and Ennahda Movement leader Rached Ghannouchi (Tunisian press)

readings

With regard to the various readings within the movement of "the president's exceptional measures", Al-Subaie explained that they focus on how to deal with them, as there are those who want direct dialogue with Saeed, and there are those who oppose that.

There are those who believe that the entire leadership of Ennahda has brought Tunisians to this situation, and wants to hold it responsible for everything that happened 10 years ago, and to hold its president responsible for what the situation has become, an assessment that al-Subaiy sees as subjective.

As for Al-Ayari, the difference within the movement is limited to describing what Said did as a “dangerous transgression” or a “coup.”

For his part, Besbas says that the official movement's statements are clear, and consider what happened a "coup and a violation of legitimacy and the constitution," noting that there is a dispute over whether President Kais Saied is considered a contributor to this predicament or not, and about the characterization of the party responsible for this crisis.

As for Basbas, he believes that the question that concerns Tunisia today is about the exits of the crisis, the road map, and the future path to return to normal and legitimate conditions and build a democratic state based on partisan pluralism.