Protesters, Politicians Remain Committed in Bardo The protests at Bardo square in front of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) building continued for the fifth straight night on Wednesday, with no end in sight. Although large crowds gathered, the demonstration did not appear to match the size of previous nights. Political leaders on the anti-government side, including the withdrawn members of the NCA, have called for the replacement of the government in favor of technocratic leadership and the dissolution of the NCA. The government, which is ruled by a three-party coalition, has refused the opposition’s demands. Ennahdha, the Islamist party that leads the coalition, has stated that while it is open to “dialogue” about the government, the dissolution of the NCA is a “red line.” Noomane Fehri, a withdrawn opposition NCA member, told Tunisia Live that “as far as he knows” there are no negotiations taking place to alleviate the political crisis. “The members of parliament, their job is to represent the people. The people don’t want to negotiate,” he said. When asked about a compromise with the ruling coalition, Fehri said that any decision would be up to the protesters. For the country to move forward, he feels radical changes must be made. “The very, very minimum we should do is that this government should not stay for more than a few weeks and the president should resign,” he said, referring to President Moncef Marzouki. Zoubayer Choudi, a spokesperson for Ennahdha, declined to specify whether negotiations were underway with the opposition, saying only that the political crisis was being discussed in the NCA. Protesters on both sides of Wednesday’s protests were highly divided. Laila, a 46 year old anti-government protester, said she came to the sit-in because she has “had it with the government.” “They are too shameful to even admit that they failed,” she added. She called for continued protests. “I hope people don’t get bored with protesting. Ennahdha shouldn’t stay in power. They’re not even recognizing that we, all these people protesting, exist and have demands. If they don’t recognize us we shouldn’t recognize them either.” Haythem, a 24 year old male, agreed. “They all have to leave! Representatives of the government and the NCA. All of them! They failed. All these problems happening. Who’s responsible for them? It’s them!” Ennahdha supporters, demonstrating on the other side of the barbed wire-enclosed plaza, seemed similarly committed. Mohamed, 27, said that he was protesting “to support legitimacy.” “I may agree with the opposition when it comes to pressuring the government to hold elections, but I disagree on dissolving the government and the NCA and bringing the country into chaos. They are calling for a military coup like Egypt,” he said, referring to former President Mohammed Morsi’s ouster from office in June. Another pro-government demonstrator, a 46 year old also named Laila, said she has been involved in the Ennahdha party for 25 years. “My husband was imprisoned for being in Ennahdha when we were newlyweds. He was in jail for five years. Our daughter was four years old when she first met her father.” Under the rule of former dictator Ben Ali, the party was banned and its members regularly persecuted. Laila struck a conciliatory tone and had hope for an end to the crisis. “I am sure Tunisia will find a way out, despite the assassinations and the violence. This is the price we’re paying to reach democracy.”
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 03:15:40 +0000
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