Three Tahya Tounes deputies have submitted their resignation from the Tunisian parliamentary bloc, which revealed signs of a strong crisis threatening the party that was formed by former prime minister Youssef Chahed in 2019.
Deputies Ayachi Zammel, Mabrouk Korchid and Kamel Ouadi have officially resigned from Tayha Tounes coalition.
The deputies are all considered first-tier leaders in the party and their resignation has left many questions unanswered about Tahya Tounes’ connection to the Ennahda Movement.
Sources close to Tahya Tounes, which split from the Nidaa Tounes party, said that the way the party is being run could be behind band resignations in the future.
More so, the National Destourian Initiative is reconsidering its merger with Tahya Tounes which took place in 2019.
Observers point out that there is a number of political projects available to Tahya Tounes; the 14-member bloc is studying three options: forming a parliamentary bloc close to and supportive of current Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh, joining forces with the opposition’s Free Destourian Party headed by Abir Moussa, or declaring failure and forming a centrist party.
Lawmaker Mustapha Ben Ahmed of the Tahya Tounes party said that the resignations aren’t novel, and denied that his party is distancing itself from the current government.
He also added that tension in the political climate is reflected in relations within parties and parliamentary blocs, and on the quality of political discourse.
“Tahya Tounes was founded on an ambitious plan of taking over control of the political scene all by itself, but it was shocked by the election results whereby it only won 14 parliamentary seats, while Ennahda Movement won 52 seats,” political analyst Jamal al-Arfawi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Meanwhile, the Tunisian prime minister announced the establishment of a new political party called the "Tunisian National Party", bringing the total number of political parties in Tunisia to 222, an unprecedented record.
