AP Interview: Tunisia Islamist party counters president

The leader of Tunisia’s Islamist party and speaker of parliament said Tuesday that his party is working to form a “national front.”

TUNIS, Tunisia -- The leader of Tunisia’s Islamist party and speaker of parliament said Tuesday that his party is working to form a “national front” to counter President Kais Saied’s decision to suspend the legislature, fire top government officials and take control of the fragile democracy amid the country’s multi-layered crisis. Ennahdha party head Rachid Ghannouchi told The Associated Press in a video call that the goal is to pressure the president “to demand the return to a democratic system.” Ghannouchi claimed that groups that attacked his party's offices in several cities during nationwide demonstrations leading up to the president's actions Sunday night organized online and were the same that later celebrated the president's actions in the streets of Tunis, the capital. The groups “are closer to anarchist groups,” and “attribute themselves” to the president, he alleged, rejecting the suggestion that they may be citizens expressing discontent with the nation's largest party.