- Ennahdha and Major Opposition Parties Sign Roadmap Agreement
- PDCI calls upon all countries, parties, and movements that value democracy to support the democratic transition in Tunisia with whatever political, diplomatic, and economic resources they can provide
Tunis, Oct. 5.─ All major opposition parties and two of the three parties in Tunisia's governing coalition today signed a roadmap agreement intended to lead the country out of its nearly ten-week political crisis.
The roadmap plan drafted by a group of civil society organizations calls for government and political leaders to meet for direct negotiations, and mandates that the current government resign three weeks from the first session of talks in favor of group of technocratic leaders to be chosen during the dialogue.
Leaders of Ennahdha, the largest party in the ruling coalition, and Ettakatol, one of its governing partners, both signed the agreement at a ceremony today in Tunis. Most opposition parties, including Nidaa Tounes and members of the Popular Front coalition, also signed on.
While President Moncef Marzouki attended the ceremony and spoke in support of the roadmap, the CPR party he co-founded did not sign the agreement during the event. Party leader Imed Daimi instead indicated that CPR would review the agreement. Houcine Abbassi, leader of the UGTT labor union, which created the roadmap along with three other civil society organizations, indicated that if the agreement were not signed during the ceremony today, signatures would be accepted later. He said this could be later today or tomorrow morning.
Participatory Democracy Cultural Initiative welcomes the official announcement of the start of the National Dialogue Conference in Tunisia and probable signature of a reconciliation agreement soon. We hope that dialogue and reconciliation through this kind of dialogue will lead to the protection and consolidation of the democratic process in that country. We wish a successful outcome of initiatives such as this that may serve as a viable model for other countries. We maintain a keen interest in the development of democracy in Tunisia and in other countries striving for freedom and human rights around the world. We believe that an inclusive dialogue among all sides, despite the difficulties and challenges, is critical to a successful transition to democracy in any place where society is willing to enter a negotiation process. We call upon all countries, parties, and movements that value democracy to support the democratic transition in Tunisia with whatever political, diplomatic, and economic resources they can provide.