End of Tunisia ‘coup’ imminent: Ennahda leader

SFAX CITY, Tunisia

The head of Tunisia's Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, said Sunday the end of the “coup” will be imminent.

"I salute the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) for refusing to participate in the farce national dialogue," Ghannouchi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in the southeastern city of Sfax to mark the 41st anniversary of the foundation of Ennahda movement.

UGTT, Tunisia’s powerful labor union, has refused to participate in a national dialogue invited by President Kais Saied amid a deep political crisis in the country.

The dialogue, which started on Saturday, was boycotted by Tunisia’s main political parties, including Ennahda.

Ghannouchi accused Saied of pressuring the Justice Minister to open lawsuits against Ennahda.

“Ennahda was not involved in any crime, which prompted Saied to unfairly sack judges,” he said.

Last week, the Tunisian president sacked 57 judges, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists.

Among those sacked was Youssef Bouzaker, the former head of the Supreme Judicial Council whose members the Tunisian president replaced this year.

Another prominent judge on the list was Bachir Akremi, whom Saied’s supporters accuse of being too close to the Ennahda Party.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis since July 25, 2021, when Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup.” He later dissolved the parliament in March after lawmakers held a session to revoke his measures.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar