TUNIS: Tunisian parliamentarians are pushing for a no-confidence vote in the Islamist-led government, whose divisive decision to extradite Muammar Qaddafi’s prime minister has caused the deepest political crisis since last year’s elections.
Tunisia extradited Al Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi to Libya Sunday, making him the first senior Qaddafi-era official to be returned for trial under Libya’s transitional leadership.
But Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, a veteran rights activist, complained that the extradition had taken place without his permission, which he had withheld for months over concerns that Mahmoudi would not receive a fair trial in Libya.
The moderate Ennahda party won 42 percent of seats in the first elections of the Arab Spring in October but formed a government in coalition with two parties, including Marzouki’s Conference for a Republic. The dispute over Mahmoudi sparked a debate in Tunisia over what the opposition describes as Ennahda’s unilateral behavior and failure to consult the constituent assembly.
The president and the government disagree over whether presidential approval is needed for an extradition to go ahead.
The dispute has turned into the deepest crisis the government has faced since its formation in December and follows months of pressure on Ennahda from secular opponents who accuse it of failing to create jobs and rein in Islamists.
Seventy-five parliamentarians have signed the motion for a no-confidence vote, clinching the one-third necessary for a vote in the 217-seat constituent assembly.
“Following our stand against the government’s violations in extraditing Al Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi... and our rejection of the marginalization of the constituent assembly’s role... we present a motion to withdraw confidence from the government,” the deputies said.
MPs pushing for no-trust vote against Tunisia govt
