Ennahda wants bigger role in Tunisia govt: Ghannouchi

By Adel al-Thabti

TUNIS (AA) – The leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, Rachid Ghannouchi, has called for a bigger representation of his group in the upcoming Tunisian government.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Ghannouchi said Ennahda is the largest party in parliament with 69 seats.

“We no longer accept a symbolic representation in the government,” he said in the interview, experts of which were published on Wednesday.

"We are keen on a broad representation of all the parties,” he said.

Ennahda became the largest party in the 217-seat Tunisian parliament after ruling Nidaa Tounes lost several lawmakers who walked out of the party as a result of inner rivalries.

The Islamist movement was represented by only one member in the government of outgoing Prime Minister Habib Essid.

“We want an effective participation” in the upcoming government, Ghannouchi said.

Last week, President Beji Caid Essebsi appointed Youssef Chahed, a former local development minister, as prime minister and tasked him with drawing up a new government.

Chahed’s appointment came four days after parliament voted to withdraw confidence from Essid’s government.

“We are keen on participating in the government, but this participation should be effective,” Ghannouchi said.

The Tunisian Islamist leader went on to say that his movement will work to render success to the Chahed’s government.

“We will seek to make this government successful whether we are represented in it or not,” he said.

Tunisia was the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 and forced several autocrat leaders out of power, including Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Since Ben Ali’s ouster, Tunisia had seen seven different governments.