Tunisia’s President Kais Saied slammed on Tuesday representatives of “political Islam” in the country.
In an address to Tunisians on the occasion of the start of Ramadan, he hoped for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and to “political epidemics,” in an implicit reference to Islamists.
His comments raised question marks over the strategy he would adopt to confront his political rivals, mainly the Islamist Ennahda Party, which backs Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi.
According to observers, Saied changed his rhetoric towards the political parties that speak in the name of religion once he returned from his three-day visit to Cairo.
The opposition al-Amal party considered raising this issue in Egypt an attempt to allow foreign intervention in Tunisia’s internal affairs and a threat to the country’s national security.
The party stressed that political Islam shouldn’t be addressed “through attempts to internationalize or hinder the parliament’s work or obstruct the establishment of the Constitutional Court.”
It further affirmed its keenness to “bring down” representatives of political Islam in the country and introduce political change while respecting the constitution and resorting to polls.
The President had earlier described the political situation in Tunis as “painful,” stressing for a strong political determination to resolve it.
During his meeting with some members of the Tunisian community in Egypt, Saied pledged to find a solution.
