A number of Tunisian former ministers and advisers to the late President, Beji Caid Essebsi, along with trade unionists, leftists, and businessmen, established a new leadership for Nidaa Tounes party, which will be a political front against the ruling coalition.
The new central leadership is led by former Foreign Minister and head of Nidaa Tounes Khemaies Jhinaoui.
Jhinaoui was dismissed, along with former Defense Minister Abdul Karim Zubaidi, three days after President Kais Saied took office in October 2019. Saied refused to meet with them at the end of their term, as he did with other dismissed advisers and ministers close to Essebsi.
During his 37-year political career, Jhinaoui assumed a number of diplomatic and political posts, including Tunisia’s ambassador to the UK for seven years, and Russia for five years.
Essebsi appointed Jhinaoui in 2014 as a diplomatic advisor, then foreign minister. He was accused of normalizing relations with Israel, however, Essebsi strongly defended him saying that his appointment to the diplomatic office in Tel Aviv was part of similar steps taken by several Arab and other countries in support of peace efforts.
Some observers believe that Jhinaoui gained sympathy from other Nidaa Tounes members because of the way he was sacked.
The Tunisian presidency has rejected the UN chief's proposal to appoint Jhinaoui as the successor to former Secretary General Special Representative in Libya Ghassan Salame, which deprived Tunisia of the opportunity to win a UN position that would serve its interests in Libya.
The new Nidaa Tounes leadership does not include Hafez Qaid Essebsi, the son of the late president, whom his opponents accuse of causing the defection of a large number of the party's founders and members.
Disagreements between Hafez Essebsi and a number of party leaders have led them to establish different parties that competed during last fall's presidential and parliamentary elections, including Tahya Tounes led by former PM Youssef Chahed, and Machrouu Tounes led by Minister Mohsen Marzouk.
As a result, Essebsi’s party only won one seat in the new government, assigned to its secretary-general, Ali Hafsi.
The new leadership of Nidaa Tounes assigned important tasks to a number of ministers and former advisers to Beji Caid Essebsi. It also includes prominent politicians, who have previously assumed responsibilities in the expanded central leadership of Nidaa, or other parties, in trade unions, and political and human rights organizations.
