As the clock ticks towards the first post-revolution democratic elections in Tunisia, Islamists are trying to dispel fears of imposing stricter laws if they win coming polls as expected.
“[Zine al-Abidine] Ben Ali did everything he could to convince the West that we are a terrorist group but he couldn’t do it,” Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda party, told Reuters on Monday, October 3.
Ennahda movement was legalized last March for the first time in the 30 years of its existence after the interim government that replaced toppled president Ben Ali regime introduced unprecedented reforms.
“We are not cut off from our environment,” saidGhannouchi, who returned to Tunisia from exile in Britain after Ben Ali’s fall.
“All the values of democracy and modernity are respected by Ennahda.
“We are a party that can find a balance between modernity and Islam.”
More than 100 parties will contest Tunisia’s first elections after the revolution on October 23.
According to opinion polls, Ennahda is expected to emerge the biggest winner in the elections, thanks to its public profile and biggest support network.
Watching Tunisia’s elections closely, Western powers and governments in other Arab states were worried that democratically elected Islamists might impose strict laws and turn their back on Western allies.
Dispelling the fears, Ghannouchi denied an allegation by his critics that he presents a moderate image in public but that once in power his party’s hardline character will emerge.
Ennahda party declared earlier its support for the Code of Personal Status introduced in 1956 that abolished polygamy and repudiation instead of formal divorce.
Yet, women’s equality and liberal moral attitudes were seen by many Tunisians as a litmus test of how tolerant Ennahda will be if it gains power.
“The values of modernity and women’s freedom began with the first president of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba,” Ghannouchi said at his party headquarters, where many of the staff are women.
“We will not retreat from these values … We will support these values,” he said.
“A woman’s freedom and her freedom of dress has been established and we will develop it.”
Foreign Relations
Ennahda leader confirmed that his Islamic movement would be keen on maintaining good relations with the West.
“I lived for a long time in Europe without any problems,” he said. “I lived in tolerance with everybody.”
Overlooking Ben Ali’s autocratic rule for years, European countries were keen on keeping Tunisia a close ally to curb flow of drugs and illegal migrants across the Mediterranean.
Ghannouchi noted that all sides supported mutual cooperation with European countries, as explained by diplomats who welcomed the expected victory of Ennahda.
“During my meetings with Western officials and diplomats, I received the message that Ennahda will be welcomed if it wins the elections,” he said.
“They told me that they stand at the same distance from all competitors and their goal is the success of the democratic transition, because the failure of the transition would be catastrophic for Europe, for example, which will be flooded by hundreds of thousands of migrants.
“We will maintain the relations with our traditional partners such as Europe, but we will seek to improve them in order to get advanced status,” Ghannouchi said, referring to a trade pact Tunisia is seeking with the European Union.
Along with long-time European partners, Ghannouchi promised to extend hands to Arab countries among new markets they plan to invade.
“We will try also to diversify our partnership to open up to the United States and Latin America, Africa and Asia, and especially Arab markets,” he said.
Economy Reform
Seeing deteriorating economic conditions as the main reason behind January’s uprising, Ghannouchi promised to generate jobs for youngsters through his party’s foreign policy.
“The biggest concern is to attract foreign investment as part of foreign and local partnerships to drive growth and increase jobs,” he said.
“The party aims to develop the knowledge economy by encouraging investment in the technology industry … There are significant growth opportunities in the telecommunications sector,” he said.
Biting economic conditions accompanied by deep frustration over poverty and unemployment were the main drivers for Tunisia’s revolution which sparked similar uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.
Following the revolutions, the turmoil is set to trim growth of the Tunisian economy to only 1-1.5 percent this year.
As for tourism, a major source of income for Tunisia, Ghannouchi promised not to impose any restrictions on Western tourists that might curb the country’s income.
Yet, he said he would encourage offering packages for observant Muslims without access to alcohol and with Islamic dress codes at the pool.
“We will seek to create a diversified tourism product, like Turkey,” he said.
Ghannouchi called on potential investors to return to a better Tunisia which has confronted deep-rooted corruption.
“Tunisia has become beautiful without Ben Ali … We will put an end to corruption, we will develop legislation to stimulate investment,” said Ghannouchi.
“We will confront the corruption that has spread in the structures of the state.”
Source: OnIslam & News Agencies
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