As the Tunisian Ennahda party started its official consultations on Monday to form the government, most of the parties nominated to participate in the next ruling coalition raised the bar by setting more conditions.
In its statement, Ennahda stressed that the prime minister should be one of its leaders. Chairman of Ennahda Movement's Shura Council Abdelkarim Harouni said his party insists on appointing one of its members for the premiership, considering this issue “non-negotiable.”
The Democratic Current, which won 22 parliamentary seats, demanded three ministerial portfolios: the ministries of interior, justice, and administrative reform.
However, sources said that the chief of the part, Mohamed Abbou, ultimately seeks to head the next government.
Mohamed Hamdi, a leader in the Democratic Current, said that Ennahda's insistence to lead the next government is just a tactic pursued by the leaders of this party in the framework of continuous negotiations with other political partners.
Hamdi added that the Current is ready to participate in the government but under the condition of a clear program that is capable of saving Tunisia from its social and economic crises.
Zouheir Meghzaoui, the Secretary-General of the People's Movement, affirmed that the national council of the party discussed during Sunday’s meeting the political situation in Tunisia and the formation of a new government in light of the latest parliamentary election outcomes.
The initial stance of the movement is to participate in the government but it has several urgent social needs that should be met, mainly finding solutions for social issues through combating unemployment and reforming the health and education sectors.
Observers see that the candidate parties are aware of the difficulty of Ennahdha's task in forming the government, in light of the fragmentation of the results of parliamentary elections and the specter of failure to ensure an absolute majority of 109 votes out of 217 in order for the government to gain confidence.
