Reports: Tunisian President Slams Ennahda, Ghannouchi

Tunisian President Kais Saied indirectly criticized Ennahda movement, noting that his country is not involved in deals being concluded all day and night, according to a report published on Sunday on Sky News Arabia website.

Saied stressed that the president is the only one who represents the country internally and abroad, noting in the congratulatory speech on Eid Al Fitr that the state is not “deals concluded in day and night.”

In conjunction with Saied’s statements, a report by Radio France Internationale revealed that Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi has been under a popular campaign and pressure during the recent times to reveal the sources of his suspicious wealth.

[caption id="attachment_128062" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi[/caption]

According to the report, the popular campaign managed to collect thousands of signatures within a week, amid growing confusion over an unknown source of Ghannouchi.

Some estimates indicate that Ghannouchi's wealth may exceed one billion dollars, noting that the man did not perform any business or economic activity until he was able to reach this advanced level of wealth.

In its report, Radio France added that dissatisfaction with Ghannouchi was not confined to the Tunisian street alone, but also reached the Ennahda movement, amid calls for his resignation from the leadership of the Parliament.

A number of senior leaders resigned from Ennahda movement in recent months, in protest against the method of Ghannouchi running affairs in the movement, and the problems he raised domestically and abroad.

Ennahda Sparks Anger of Tunisian Street

Ghannouchi sparked controversy in Tunisia recently, after he congratulated Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord in Libya, following the withdrawal of the Libyan National Army from the Al-Watiya base, and critics saw that this position plunges Tunisia into a conflict of axes.

In another suspicious step, Ghannouchi contacted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Turkish presidency claimed that the two men discussed the crisis of the novel coronavirus.

[caption id="attachment_128013" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Libya's GNA Head Fayez Al-Sarraj (L) and Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi (R)[/caption]

Critics believe that Ghannouchi goes beyond the state institutions that are supposed to take charge of arranging diplomatic matters for the country, because the head of the Ennahda movement heads the parliament and is not responsible for the foreign or presidency of the republic.

In last January, Ghannouchi had met Erdogan personally, amid ambiguity about the program of the meeting in Istanbul.

When the head of the Ennahda movement was asked about the reason, he answered that he wanted to congratulate the Turks on developing a car, an answer that was met with sarcasm and skepticism.

It is expected that Ghannouchi will be subjected to an accountability session on June 3rd, in order to expose the reasons for his interference in the Libyan crisis, on the grounds of affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood group.

Last Thursday, four blocs, on behalf of the Tunisian parliament, condemned the continuous interference of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the country's foreign policy and its involvement in the internal conflicts of some countries.

The Tunisian blocs expressed their refusal to involve Tunisia in the regional axis conflicts, adding that this trend contradicts the official positions of the Tunisian state.

The blocs called for the issue to be presented at the first upcoming plenary session for deliberation, while the Presidency urged the council to respect diplomatic norms, avoid overlapping the powers of the rest of the authorities, and not push Parliament into the politics of the axes.

Moreover, they stressed that the positions issued by Ghannouchi do not express the position of Parliament and do not bind it to anything, noting that the speaker does not have any legal authority in the constitution or the internal system that allows him to express a position in the name of the parliament.