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| Africa North |
| Tunisia Islamists call for demonstrations on Tuesday |
| 2013-08-13 |
| [Al Ahram] The ruling Islamist party Ennahda called for rallies on Tuesday to mark Tunisian women's day, deepening the crisis with the opposition which has also called for anti-government protests. In a statement published Monday Ennahda urged its supporters to gather from 1500 GMT on Habib Bourguiba avenue, epicentre of the 2011 Arab Spring born in Tunisia. It said the rally would be held under the slogan: "Tunisia's women, pillars of the democratic transition and national unity" in the North African country mired in crisis sparked by the murder in July of an opposition politician. The slogan reflects the position of the Islamists who insist that "transitional institutions" be kept in place in the absence of a consensus on the country's new constitution. Last week National Constituent Assembly chief Mustapha Ben Jaafar announced the suspension of the assembly's work drawing up a new constitution while Ennahda and the opposition work out their differences. Critics of the government are calling for demonstrations on Tuesday night to defend women's rights followed by a march outside parliament, where the opposition has held nightly demonstrations since the July 25 liquidation of opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi. Brahmi's was the second political liquidation this year, coming after the February murder of Chokri Belaid, also in Tunis. Radical Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... have been blamed for the attacks. The opposition coalition, made up of parties from across the political spectrum, has been calling for resignation of the government and the dissolution of the assembly. The opposition hopes for a huge turnout on Tuesday, similar to an August 6 protest that drew tens of thousands of people demonstrating against the government. |
| Posted by:Fred |