On Monday 25 August, the Ennahdha Movement put an end to speculations about its intentions for the upcoming legislative elections, on 26 October, when it made public its list of candidates. With 46% female and 54% male candidates Ennahdha allocated 18% of seats to youth. Largely drawn from the education sector, Ennahdha’s candidates reflected the movement’s traditional socio-economic base. Ennahdha put two heavyweights at the top of its lists of candidates for Tunis 1 and 2 electoral constituencies: former PM and current secretary general Ali Laârayedh, and Sheikh Abdelfattah Mourou, Ennahdha’s number two. Observers believe these two candidacies confirmed rumours that Beji Caid Sebsi had to abandon his decision to put his son, Hafed Sebsi, at the top of one of Nid Tounes’ candidate lists for a Tunis constituency when he failed to reach a deal with Ghannouchi not to present strong Ennahdha candidates for the capital Tunis. It is still early to say, but observers believe Ennahdha would retain the traditional 20% votes of it ideological loyalists but contrary to the 2011 elections, it would struggle to attract more votes than this. That potential outcome would not necessarily benefit Nida Tounes, as it has become the party of former Ben Ali RCD party career politicians and businessmen. The nomination of businessman Moncef Sellami to lead Nida Tounes’s candidate list in Sfax is one example of this much criticised practice in the pro-liberal parties’ media outlets.

http://www.kapitalis.com/politique/24252-legislatives-les-tetes-de-liste-d-ennahdha-definitif.html
http://www.kapitalis.com/tribune/24188-nida-tounes-de-la-cratie-a-la-ploutocratie.html

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