Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Tunisia's Moderate Islamist Party Picks One of Its Own as Next PM

Lisa Bryant

   PARIS - Tunisia took a step forward Friday in forming a new government
   following rollercoaster October elections, with the moderate Islamist
   Ennahda party proposing a prime minister from its own ranks to lead it.
   Former junior agriculture minister, Habib Jemli, 60, will now have two
   months to form a government. If he fails to do so, newly elected
   President Kais Saied can tap another candidate.

   Still, it remains uncertain whether any future government emerging from
   a politically fractured parliament -- along with an untested president
   -- can tackle the country's massive economic and employment challenges.

   With Tunisia considered the Arab Spring's first and so far only
   relative success story, this latest twist in its bumpy
   post-revolutionary path is being closely watched abroad. Some analysts
   hail last month's elections -- where disaffected voters ousted
   establishment candidates in favor of political outsiders -- as a messy
   but clear affirmation of democracy. Others fear the next government may
   prove just as disappointing as the last one.

   "The real issue is the economy," said analyst Hamadi Redissi, president
   of the Tunisian Observatory for Democratic Transition research
   organization. "Can it deliver what people are asking for -- jobs and
   prosperity? That remains to be seen."

   Voters' message

   Since its 2011 revolution, the North African country has seen shrinking
   growth and soaring joblessness, the same toxic ingredients that
   triggered the uprising. Its key tourism sector is only recently
   rebounding following 2015 terrorist attacks. Tunisia has also earned
   the unwelcome record as one of the largest exporters of terrorist
   fighters.

   Upcoming negotiations to form a new government will be a key test for
   Ennahda, a once-banned movement that emerged as a key part in Tunisia's
   post-revolution power structure. While coming out ahead in last month's
   legislative polls, it took a hit along with other establishment parties
   -- capturing just 52 of the 217 parliamentary seats, down from its
   previous 69.

   "We've heard the voters' message," said senior Ennahda member
   Abdelkarim Harouni. "We can't fail in making the reforms Tunisians are
   waiting for."

   But Ennahda may have to strike an unlikely alliance with a former
   political nemesis to form a winning coalition, analysts say -- notably
   media mogul Nabil Karoui's Heart of Tunisia party, which placed second
   in October voting. Earlier this week, Heart of Tunisia backed Ennahda's
   controversial leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, as speaker of parliament.

.