Tunisia's New Political Order Likely to Test Ennahda's Governing Mettle
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UK £2 Issue 231, Year 5 EU €2.50 November 17, 2019 www.thearabweekly.com Interview Iran-backed Shedding light on crackdown on Qatar's influence Iraqi protests networks Page 9 Pages 3,7 Tunisia’s new political order likely to test Ennahda’s governing mettle Lamine Ghanmi that is likely to have trouble acting tle will be facing the country’s on legislation. daunting economic problems. With Ennahda ensured the election GDP growth at slightly more than Tunis of Ghannouchi as speaker of par- 1%, the economy is ill-equipped to liament because of an about-face create enough jobs to address the ith the election of En- by the Qalb Tounes party, a former more than 15% unemployment rate. nahda President Ra- arch-political foe. An impatient population dealing ched Ghannouchi as However, it is not clear whether with high prices and a deteriorat- W parliament speaker and Qalb Tounes, led by media magnate ing standard of living will offer any the nomination of Habib Jemli, a Nabil Karoui, will participate in the government limited margin to ma- former junior agriculture minis- formation of the new government noeuvre. ter, as prime minister, Tunisians or whether it will give it its approval It is unknown what kind of rela- now know the shape of the politi- to Jemli’s proposed cabinet, which tionship the Ennahda-dominated cal landscape that has been greatly must be put to a parliamentary vote institutions will strike with Presi- altered by recent presidential and in less than two months. dent Kais Saied. The new head of legislative elections. Ennahda’s new ties to Qalb state, like Ennahda, holds socially Their main concern is that Tu- Tounes contradict its efforts to conservative views and veers to- nisian politics, and thus the gov- adopt a “revolutionary” narrative wards identity politics. ernment, is too segmented and that renounces consensus politics Saied sees socio-economic woes contentious to focus on immediate with former regime members. as Tunisia’s priority. His likely desire priorities. Ennahda’s leadership in parlia- to use his grace period to boost his Jemli, 60, served in the Islamist- ment and its performance in gov- constitutionally limited preroga- led cabinet headed by Ennahda- ernment are likely to come under tives could be a contentious issue as affiliated Prime Ministers Hamadi intense scrutiny while Tunisia faces he tries to chart a course of change Jebali and Ali Laarayedh at the end many challenges, including the in the country, as he promised dur- of 2011. prospect of receiving scores of Is- ing his campaign. The most salient feature of Tuni- lamic State extremists from Turkey sia’s new political landscape is its and developments in neighbouring Lamine Ghanmi is an Arab Weekly New lineup. Tunisia’s Prime Minister-designate Habib Jemli (L) apparent domination by Ennahda, Algeria and Libya. correspondent in Tunis. takes his Letter of Assignment from President Kais Saied at the despite a very splintered parliament The new government’s true met- P5,10 Carthage Presidential Palace in Tunis, November 15. (AFP) With deadlock continuing, Qatar knew in advance Lebanon’s crisis is set for the long haul of Iranian attack in Gulf Samar Kadi Hariri, who resigned October 29 tions had been exploited by interna- after unprecedented protests against tional and regional powers against but did not warn ruling politicians blamed for ram- Hezbollah. Beirut pant state corruption and an eco- Protesters blocked roads and nomic crisis, said he would only re- crammed city squares despite little US or UK: Fox News he month-old demonstra- turn as prime minister of a cabinet of sign of an imminent breakthrough. tions that brought Lebanon non-partisan specialist ministers. Lebanon appears to be in for a pro- to a halt and toppled Prime While the powerful Iran-backed longed crisis. The Arab Weekly staff “very concerned” about the allega- T Minister Saad Hariri’s gov- Hezbollah and its allies, the Shia The first fatality in the protests oc- tions of Qatari complicity with Iran ernment have yet to deliver on pro- Amal Movement of parliament curred November 12, when a Leba- and intends “to raise questions with testers’ demands for an “emergency Speaker Nabih Berri and the Free nese soldier shot a protester south of Istanbul colleagues in other countries with administration” of independent Patriotic Movement of President Beirut shortly after a live interview strong connections in the Middle technocratic ministers capable of Michel Aoun, wanted Hariri to re- during which Aoun implicitly re- atar had prior knowledge East." rescuing the country from its acute turn as prime minister, they insisted jected the protesters’ demand for an of an Iranian attack on four Ian Paisley Jr., a British lawmaker, financial crisis. on a cabinet of both technocrats independent cabinet. commercial ships in the described the report’s content as Reports that a consensus was and politicians. A non-partisan cabinet of experts Q Gulf last May but “may have “very alarming and requires serious reached to nominate Mohammad “They want him (Hariri) back with a well-defined agenda, includ- failed to warn its US, French and Brit- and immediate investigation by my Safadi, a former Finance min- because he represents a Sunni ing early general elections, “is the ish allies,” US TV network Fox News own government.” ister, as prime minister fuelled majority and has strong rela- only option to surmount the crisis,” revealed Saturday, citing a Western the anger of protesters who tions with the West, which said Sami Nader, director of the Le- intelligence report. Ian Paisley Jr gathered outside Safadi’s home. they don’t want to lose,” vant Institute for Strategic Affairs. The May 12 attack targeted two “Reports about Safadi’s Kammourieh said. “If the deadlock persists, Lebanon Saudi tankers, a Norwegian tanker nomination could be a test bal- Kammourieh said a cabi- will be plunging into a more severe and a UAE bunkering ship off-the loon to see how it would net of independent economic crisis. The World Bank has port of Fujairah in the United Arab “Very alarming and requires be received. The people technocrats would warned that 50% of the Lebanese Emirates. serious and immediate reacted with more pro- eliminate or weaken will fall into poverty. That will lead “Credible intelligence reports indi- investigation." tests. I don’t think that the hold of Hezbol- to complete chaos and all-out civil cate that the IRGC-Quds Forces Na- would work, unless the lah, which does not disobedience.” val unit is responsible for the Fujai- ruling class wants to want to be seen as Neither side appears prepared to rah Port attacks, and the elements of “If proven correct, this poses seri- confront the people,” “if it has conceded compromise and there is no political civilian government of Iran, as well ous questions for our alliances in this said political analyst to the interna- leadership or opposition party that as the State of Qatar, were aware of region,” he added Amin Kammourieh. tional com- could be an alternative to the ruling the IRGC’s activities,” said the report, “The allegations against Qatar “We are stuck in munity, notably parties. obtained exclusively by Fox News. come at a sensitive time for US-Qatar an impasse,” he said. the West and the “Hezbollah and its allies are not Key legislators from two NATO relations, amid other accusations “A government of Americans,” he said. willing so far to relinquish their countries, France and the UK, ex- that it has financed Islamic terrorism technocrats will Hezbollah Secretary- dominion over the political estab- pressed alarm at the accusations in the past,” said Fox News, noting not be accepted by General Hassan Nas- lishment but, in the meantime, the levelled at Qatar by the intelligence that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Hezbollah and its al- rallah has repeatedly country may collapse… We are still at report. Nathalie Goulet, a member of countries and Egypt have boycotted lies while a cabinet insinuated that critics square one.” the French senate and an influential Doha since June 2017 over its alleged of politicians and of Hezbollah’s politi- figure in European counterterrorism ties to Iran and extremist organisa- technocrats will cal line were manipu- Samar Kadi is The Arab Weekly circles, told Fox News that French tions. still face opposition lating the protests and Travel and Society section editor. authorities will be investigating Qatari officials contacted by Fox in the street.” that the demonstra- P2 the report. She said she was herself News offered no comment. 2 November 17, 2019 Top News Interview Can the UN mediate the Iraq and Lebanon crises? corruption measures and electoral as plummeting.” reform by the end of November. It There were questions about the provided for constitutional amend- apparent convergence of the United Lamine Ghanmi ments and legislative initiatives on Nations’ effort with the Iran-backed infrastructure within three months. official Iraqi position to work with Considering the impatience of pro- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul- N representatives testers and their distrust of the ruling Mahdi. recently delved into elite, Hennis-Plasschaert pressed After considering removing Abdul- the tumultuous Iraqi authorities to “step up to the Mahdi, the political leadership of politics of Iraq and plate and make things happen.” Iraq, including President Barham Lebanon, searching “They are elected by the people. Salih, voiced support for the prime for a peaceful They are accountable to them,” she minister. solution to the said. The official Iraqi stance was report- Ushowdowns between protesters and She discussed the plan with Iraqi edly cemented during meetings authorities. legislators November 13, saying: in Baghdad that involved Iranian In Iraq, mediation is spearheaded “Now is the time to act, otherwise Major-General Qassem Soleimani, Close reading of events.