Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi did not deny during a television interview on Sunday his rapprochement with the parliamentary coalition comprised of the Ennahda movement, Heart of Tunisia and Dignity Coalition.
At the same time, he stressed the “independence” of his government that received the vote of confidence from the parliamentary coalition.
This prompted a number of opposition parties to accuse him of being impartial and of siding with one political party and not the other.
Mechichi defended himself, saying it was necessary to work with the Ennahda coalition, which boasts a majority in parliament and therefore, holds the votes that can topple or keep his cabinet in power.
This position also allows him to remain at a distance from other parties and the dictates of President Kais Saied, whose stances are at odd with the Ennahda and heart of Tunisia.
Separately, the parliamentary bloc of the Free Destourian Party said that it submitted a bill to the parliament’s presidency denouncing the whitewashing of terrorism.
Head of the bloc, Abir Moussi, called on the government to work on “drying up the sources of terrorism financing” and dissolve political organizations and associations that support violence and extremist ideologies.
Moussi confirmed that she urged Speaker Rached Ghannouchi to present these regulations to the plenary session for discussion and approval in accordance with Article 141 of the parliament's bylaw.
Prior to Moussi's proposal, the deputy public prosecutor, Mohsen Dali announced that the public prosecution at counter terrorism unit will investigate a post attributed to independent MP Rached Khiari about the beheading of a French teacher last week near Paris, France.
In response, Machrou Tounes movement called for the application of the anti-terrorism law against Khiari, urging local media to boycott the activities carried out by some extremist figures who support terrorism.
The movement blamed the political and parliamentary parties that remain silent over incidents that “glorify terrorism,” saying this “encourages terrorism and extremism." It held them fully responsible for the crimes.