An agreement is imminent on a new national unity government for Tunisia to resolve the political crisis brought on by the assassination of an opposition politician, the leader of the powerful Ennahda party has said..
Rachid Ghannouchi said late on Monday that a new government is expected to be announced in two or three days, as the country that kicked off the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring teeters on the edge of a political crisis.
“We are on the road to an understanding,” he said. “We are moving toward forming a government of national union.”
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki’s secular party had earlier said it would remain in the ruling coalition, but demanded the resignation of two ministers amid deepening political uncertainty.
The centre-left Congress for the Republic (CPR) party had demanded the resignation of the justice and foreign ministers, who belong to Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali’s Islamist Ennahda party.
“Two days ago we presented the resignation of our ministers, but we were contacted yesterday evening by the leaders of Ennahda, who replied favourably to all our demands,” Mohamed Abbou, CPR party head, said on Monday.
Political tensions have escalated in the North African country after the assassination on February 6 of Shokri Belaid, a leftist politician and fierce critic of Islamist groups.
Agencies
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