The Ennahda party denied signing any contract with institutions outside Tunisia to polish their image or receiving funds from any external party, at a time when calls were mounting in Tunisia to expedite the appointment of a prime minister and restore political life to normal.
A spokesman for the Tunisian Public Prosecution said this evening, Friday, that there are decisions banning travel for officials in the previous government, who will be announced later.
In a statement, Ennahda stressed that it is subject to the procedures of Tunisian law and that its accounts and contracts are monitored by the Court of Accounts.
Ennahda's denial came in light of accusations circulating that the movement received foreign financial support during the last election campaign, and demands for judicial follow-up.
Earlier today, local media reported that the Ennahda movement had signed a contract with an advertising company in the United States to beautify its image abroad, last July, for $30,000.
mounting pressure
Meanwhile, Tunisian civil society organizations, in a joint statement, called on Tunisian President Kais Saied to develop a plan of action according to a clear and specific agenda in time and in a participatory manner with civil forces.
She stressed the need to respect the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, and stressed the need to form a government as soon as possible in which efficiency and equity are respected.
The statement was signed by the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, the Association of Tunisian Judges, the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women and other organizations.
In turn, the Tunisian General Labor Union, as well as the United States and France, called on President Kais Saied to expedite the appointment of a new government.
The labor union is preparing a road map to end the crisis, and says it will present it to Saeed at an unspecified time.
On Wednesday, the Secretary-General of the Tunisian Labor Union, Noureddine Tabboubi, warned of the dangers of a government vacuum and disruption of government institutions in the country, stressing keenness on the approach of dialogue with all parties.
No turning back
Commenting on these calls, the Tunisian president said that there is no turning back and no dialogue except with those he described as "honest", in reference to his refusal to dialogue with his opponents who criticized his decisions to control the executive authority and freeze parliament, and some described it as a coup.
Saeed's statement also comes after Ennahda's Shura Council called, yesterday, Thursday, to launch a national dialogue to move forward with political and economic reforms and end the suspension of Parliament's competencies, with the movement carrying out the necessary reviews and renewing its programs.
On July 25, the Tunisian president took exceptional measures to freeze the work of Parliament for a period of 30 days, assume the executive authority and relieve Hisham Al-Mashishi from heading the government, and he made appointments to senior state officials.
And after about two weeks of the sudden step, Saeed has not yet appointed a new prime minister, and he has not announced any steps to end the state of emergency or a plan for the coming period.
house arrest
In another development, the head of the Administrative Reform and Anti-Corruption Committee in the Tunisian Parliament, Badr Al-Din Al-Qamoudi, said that house arrest was imposed on the former minister, Mohamed Anwar Maarouf, a leader in the Ennahda movement.
Maarouf served as Minister of Communication Technology from 2016 to 2020. He is a prominent figure in Ennahda.
This week, the president dismissed Minister of Communication Technology Fadel Karim.
He said that he would not accept that the ministry be a place for parties that want to control a database of Tunisians or gain access to its own data.
In the same context, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that the Tunisian president issued an order assigning Ali Merabet to run the Ministry of Health to succeed Mohamed Trabelsi.
Yesterday, Saeed completed the duties of 3 governors, bringing the number of those who were included in the presidential dismissals since July 25 to 33 officials.
In a statement, the Tunisian presidency stated that Saeed had issued presidential orders to end the assignment of Akram Al-Sebri as governor of Monastir Governorate (east), Habib Shawat with the tasks of the governor of Medenine (southeast), and Saleh Matrawi with the tasks of the governor of Zaghouan (north).
In its statement, the Tunisian presidency did not explain the reason for these decisions, but it came as a continuation of a wave of dismissals by President Said of officials in the country, which, as of Thursday evening, August 5, reached 33 officials.