As soon as it was created and went operational, the Council of Elders has been heavily criticized.
Established last Tuesday at the initiative of Hamadi Jebali, that Council which brings together intellectuals, lawyers and moderates from Ennahdha, aims to criticize the performance of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA).
According to the preliminary findings of the Council of Elders, the NCA has diverted from the purpose of constitution-making to focus on legislative and policy issues that are the responsibility of a legislative assembly.
Controversy surrounding the Council of Elders
Despite its relatively short term, the entity sought by the Prime Minister is applauded by some parties and rejected by others.
According to Mehdi Ben Garbia, member of the NCA and of the Democratic Alliance, the Council of Elders does not jeopardize the legitimacy of the ANC. “This is only an advisory council that will try to convince all parties through national figures that have their weight in Tunisia,” he told us.
The objective is to find a common ground and a solution to the current political and institutional stalemate.
On the contrary, Khemais Kessila, member of NCA and of the leadership of Nidaa Tounes considered it a “heresy” that could derail efforts to bring the country out of the crisis. While recognizing the right of Hamadi Jebali to seek advice from competent persons, Kessila believed that the creation of this council is an initiative that aims to circumvent the NCA, the source of legitimacy of the government itself, and the substitution of this new authority to the forum of national dialogue advocated by all political forces of the country.
Unnecessary body
According to Habib Ellouze, NCA member from Ennahdha, the council of elders established by Hamadi Jebali is a useless body and gives a bad idea of the political situation in Tunisia.
The leader of Ennahdha told us that this tense situation requires the formation of a national coalition government. Therefore, it is an initiative that “comes at a bad time because consultations are underway to form a political government of unity that could include other partners.”
“Ennahdha is conducting talks with four sides: the CPR, Ettakatol, Wafa and the parliamentary group” Freedom and Dignity,” he said. The objective is to form a government.
Sharing the same view, Tahar Hmila, member of the Constituent Assembly affirms that the creation of the council of elders is a bad political idea and questions its usefulness.
According to him, it is a council that is likely to replace the National Constituent Assembly if it turns out to be a decision-making rather than advisory authority.
Absence of women sparks controversy
Despite the potential role of this entity, the absence of women has sparked controversy among many feminist organizations which singled out its eminently “conservative and patriarchal” composition, including some ultraconservative personalities such as Abu Yaareb Marzouki (Ennahdha).
Rachid Ammar criticized
On the presence of Chief of Staff of the Army, Rachid Ammar, Adviser to the Prime Minister and member of the Council of Elders, Abu Yaareb Marzouki said that the presence of the Chief of Staff in the Council should not be construed as an endorsement of the initiative of Hamadi Jebali. ”
Because of the major concern about the crisis in the country, Rachid Ammar has invited the council members to find urgent solutions.” The army would not intervene in politics, he stressed.