Page 28 - Trends

Special Report

Ennahdha. The second was when, on
January 18, 2017, Riahi provocative-
ly urged the President of the Republic
to call for early presidential elections,
construed by many as his admission to
having failed in the mission for which he
had been elected three years earlier.
However, some of the main leaders of
the UPL had understood this impending
downfall and opted to switch parties be-
IRUH 5LDKL·V ÀQDO VZLSH DJDLQVW WKH KHDG
of state. For example, Hatem el-Euch,
State and Land Affairs Minister, and
Mohsen Hassen, Commerce Minister
in the Essid government, walked out of
Riahi’s party in August and December
2016, respectively.

Possible reconciliation
However, a reconciliation appeared pos-
sible between Palace of Carthage (the
presidential palace of Tunisia and the
seat of the President) and the president
of the UPL when the latter agreed to en-
courage his parliamentary group to vote
in favor of the law of administrative rec-
onciliation, voted by the ARP on Sep-
tember 13, 2017. In return, he received
an audience with Essebsi six days later,
IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH LQ D \HDU
Did the businessman expect this meet-
ing to end with all of his legal troubles
© AFP eroding? It may have been possible, but
the opposite happened. Just 24 hours af-
ter his meeting with Essebsi, Riahi was
Over the next several months, far from improving, the relations between banned from leaving the country.
His ordeal may not be over yet. He also
the President of the Republic and Riahi stretched to a breaking point. gave up the reins of prestigious African
Club and on October 2, 2017, Yosra Mili,
of thought further. Over the past three and brief reconciliations. Over the next a member of the UPL Political Bureau,
years, the leader of the UPL has indeed several months, far from improving, the DQQRXQFHG WKH KROGLQJ RI WKH SDUW\·V ÀUVW
made the mistake — probably fatal — of relations between the President of the congress in mid-December and the ap-
pretending to treat himself as an equal Republic and Riahi stretched to a break- pointment at a very short notice of a gener-
of the two most prominent Tunisian ing point. al coordinator — a newly created post. Its
politicians, President Béji Caïd Esseb- holder will inherit most of the prerogatives
si and the leader of Ennahdha, Rached The fall begins of the party’s founder Riahi. Therefore, it
Ghannouchi. And it was hard for these The rupture was completed in two appears Riahi’s troubles are far from over
leaders to let this pass easily. The histo- VWDJHV 7KH ÀUVW ZDV ZKHQ RQ 0D\ and it will be of great interest for the Mid-
ry of their relationship with Riahi, since 2016, the UPL announced its exit from dle East and North Africa region to wit-
2014 in particular, is a long succession the government coalition, despite an at- ness how the upcoming months unfold for
of clashes, acrimonious confrontations tempted mediation by the president of this charismatic leader.

28 TRENDS | February 2018