Tunisia and the Decline of Political Islam wilsoncenter.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wilsoncenter.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Islamists are bearing the brunt of President Kais Saied’s "counter revolution" with their leaders facing possible jail time and little public sympathy, as many view them as the principle architects of the economic woes and political gridlock that has long gripped the country.
The swing away from Islamists continued in legislative and presidential elections, both held in late 2014. In October the secular Nida Tounes party, led by Sebsi, won 85 seats of the 217 in Tunisia’s new legislative assembly, the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, while Ennahda won 69. In December Sebsi himself was elected president, winning more that 55 percent of the vote in a runoff against the incumbent interim president, Marzouki. With no party in a position to form a parliamentary majority, Nida Tounes and Ennahda agreed to form a unity government. The two parties worked together to
The presidential decree to revise the law of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia and change its composition is facing widespread criticism from opposition parties and organizations that accuse Tunisian President Kais Saied of granting himself wide powers that may affect the course of democracy.
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