Ennahdha Proposals for Resolving Political Crisis: Concluding Statement of Press Conference of 15 August 2013 Tunis, 15 August 2013 Following the assassination of member of the National Constituent Assembly Mohamed Brahmi and the killing of eight of our brave army soldiers in Jebel Chaambi, voices from the opposition called for the dissolution of the Assembly and the government and a number of deputies suspended their work in the Assembly. At the same time, some anarchist groups targeted state institutions and attempted to impose alternative local committees as part of an attempt to bring about a political vacuum in the country, dismantle existing institutions and abrogate what has been achieved throughout the transition period, in a desperate attempt to duplicate the coup in Egypt. At the same time, dialogue has intensified and initiatives have multiplied on the political scene and in civil society, despite growing polarisation and a loss of trust between many parties of the political class. Developments in Egypt following the coup have continued to feed a climate of apprehension among public opinion that is committed to the success of its transition and the avoidance of vacuum and chaos. Our Party has been keen to respond positively and engage in dialogue with all partners through presenting proposals via statements and discussions, and today we wish to present our evaluation of the situation and our vision for ending the transition phase: 1. National Priorities: - Securing the transition process and accelerating it in order to complete it by holding transparent free and fair elections as soon as possible and with the widest possible popular participation. - Firmly standing against the danger of terrorism and other security challenges. - Seeking to find solutions for the economic situations and improving the living conditions of citizens. 2. Policies: - Commitment to national unity as the foundation for overcoming all difficulties. - Preservation of the state, regulating political competition and rejecting all options characterised by anarchy, chaos and overturning popular will. - Commitment to the Law Regulating Public Authorities as the framework for completing the democratic transition process. - Emphasising dialogue and sitting at the negotiation table as the key to overcoming the crisis. - Valuing all efforts aimed at facilitating national dialogue with neutrality and standing at an equal distance from all political parties. - Building on the achievements of the National Constituent Assembly (Constitution Draft, Electoral Commission) and of completed national dialogue rounds (Electoral Law). 3. Foundations: A. National Constituent Assembly: 1) Preserving the National Constituent Assembly as the fundamental authority and the cornerstone of the emerging democratic system chosen by Tunisia after the elections of 23 October 2011, and necessity of resuming its work as soon as possible. 2) Defining a clear timetable including the following: - Completing the formation of the Independent Electoral Commission within one week of resumption of Assembly sessions. - Adoption of the Constitution and Electoral Law by the end of September. - Completion of fundamental tasks of the Assembly by 23 October and setting a date for the elections before the end of this year. B. The Government: Forming a national unity government including all political parties to work towards completing the democratic transition under the framework of the Law Regulating Public Authorities, to undertake the above tasts and to provide the necessary conditions for holding free and fair elections. Ennahdha Party expresses its rejection of the call for a government emerging out of the Salvation Front as a danger threatening to drag the country into a vacuum leading to chaos, ending the democratic process and aborting the revolution. Ennahdha party also considers the call for a technocratic government to be incapable of fulfilling the challenges facing the country in this phase. 4. Mechanisms: To guarantee further inclusiveness and remove all concerns, we propose: - undertaking all required measures to achieve neutrality of the administration, locally, regionally and nationally. - forming a political council alongside the government, with pre-agreed powers, bringing together political parties, national figures and representatives of civil society associations. - Agreeing on an electoral law that guarantees fairness and broad participation. - providing all necessary resources for the successful operation of the Electoral Commission. - Signing a pact between all political parties to guarantee peaceful coexistence and healthy electoral competition. - Seeking help from international monitors. 5. Time frame: Through political consensus and calming of social conditions, the National Constituent Assembly can complete its fundamental tasks by 23 October 2013 and organise elections by the end of this year. We are confident that rational balanced constructive dialogue can lead to solutions for accelerating the completion of this temporary phase. Should this fail to reconcile viewpoints, the option of going back to the people can be considered, through a possible referendum on completing or ending the process, under international monitoring to guarantee its fairness. We are fully confident in the awareness and maturity of our people and its intellectual and political elites to ensure the success of the revolution and secure the democratic transition in our country, setting an inspiring political model. Ennahdha Party Rached Ghannouchi
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:12:53 +0000