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On November 15, Ennahda announced Habib Jemli, a former junior minister and agricultural engineer, as the party’s pick for prime minister.
- In a meeting on Friday afternoon, President Kaïs Saïed officially tasked Jemli with forming a government, which he will have one month to accomplish, with the possibility of renewal for a second month.
- Jemli, 60, previously served as a junior minister of agriculture in the 2011 government also headed by Ennahda, but describes himself as politically independent.
- He promised that “efficiency and integrity will be the basis for choosing the members of the government, whatever their affiliations without exclusion to any party.”
- Jemli was most likely chosen as a non-partisan figure who would be able to form a more technocratic consensus government based on competency rather than political affiliation.
Official consultations to form a government began on November 19, when prime minister-designate Jemli held his first meeting with Nabil Karoui and other representatives of Qalb Tounes.
- After the consultations, Karoui clarified that the meeting is not a sign of his party’s participation in the next government, and was instead just about Jemli’s vision for his government and its structure.
- For his part, Jemli stated afterward that he would meet first with political parties, and then with national organizations and unions for the second phase of consultations.
- On November 18, Ennahda leader and Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi said that Qalb Tounes will not be involved in discussions over the formation of a new government, adding that the “Ennahdha party wants to appoint independent personalities, instead of party members, to head sovereign ministries.”
- Ennahda and Qalb Tounes collaborated last week for the election of the speaker of parliament and the two deputy speakers. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they will join forces for other positions, but it’s proof that it’s a possibility.
- Following the Karoui meeting, Jemli met with former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, after which Chahed announced that he will not be part of the next government.
Following Jemli’s nomination, representatives of several parties shared the conditions under which they would be willing to participate in an Ennahda government...for now, anyway.
- Seifeddine Makhlouf, leader of the Al-Karama coalition—which is widely expected to take part in the Ennahda government—said that his party would not support a government that includes Qalb Tounes.
- Ghazi Chaouachi of the Democratic Current expressed optimism at the nomination of Jemli, who he considers an independent, and said that his party will not join a government that includes Qalb Tounes or the far-right PDL.
- Tarek Ftiti, the second deputy speaker of parliament who represents the National Reform parliamentary coalition, said that his bloc is willing to participate in consultations regarding the formation of a government if asked. Very easygoing!
If you thought elections in Tunisia were over, think again! November 18 marked the first day for submitting candidacies for a handful of municipal elections. The elections—which will take place on January 26—involve five municipalities in which the local councils have collectively resigned.
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ON OUR RADAR
- November 19 - The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) has called for a sit-in on November 20 in support of journalists and the Palestinian people, after a Palestinian journalist was shot in the eye by Israeli border police. (Réalités)
- November 18 - Tunisian General Confederation of Labour (CGTT) issued a statement calling on the next government to expand the freedoms of trade unions and respect the union pluralism guaranteed in the 2014 Constitution. (Tunis Afrique Presse)
- November 17 - Fuel prices in Tunisia have increased by 24 percent since the 2016 loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund was reached. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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FOR THE RECORD
Today is the first day of the session for Tunisia's parliament. Or, as it really should be rebranded: @AlBawsalaTN appreciation day.
— Max Gallien (@MaxGallien)
via Twitter, November 13, 2019
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