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Tunisia’s Ennahda to Take Part in Jan. 14 Demonstrations against Saied

A handout picture provided by the Facebook Page of the Tunisian Presidency on December 13, 2021 shows President Kais Saied attending a cabinet meeting in the capital Tunis. (AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Facebook Page of the Tunisian Presidency on December 13, 2021 shows President Kais Saied attending a cabinet meeting in the capital Tunis. (AFP)
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Tunisia’s Ennahda to Take Part in Jan. 14 Demonstrations against Saied

A handout picture provided by the Facebook Page of the Tunisian Presidency on December 13, 2021 shows President Kais Saied attending a cabinet meeting in the capital Tunis. (AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Facebook Page of the Tunisian Presidency on December 13, 2021 shows President Kais Saied attending a cabinet meeting in the capital Tunis. (AFP)

Tunisia's moderate Islamist party Ennahda on Monday called on its supporters to take part in demonstrations planned for Jan. 14 to protest against President Kais Saied's moves to take near total power.

Saied announced in September he will rule by decree and ignore parts of the constitution as he prepares to change the political system. Ennahda is the biggest party in the parliament that Said suspended in July.

"The Ennahda movement calls on its supporters and all social forces to participate strongly in the demonstrations planned on Jan 14," the party said on Facebook.

The demonstrations are planned on the day which used to mark the anniversary of the revolution that toppled ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali a decade ago. Saied changed the date to Dec. 17, when fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi set himself ablaze after an altercation with a policewoman, an incident which ignited the uprising.

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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.