A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, February 11, 2013

Political Situation in Tunisia Remains Muddled

The confused political situation in Tunisia seems increasingly muddled. Prime Minister Djebali still favors a technocratic Cabinet; his own Nahda Party nhas rejected that. President Moncef Marzouki's Congress for the Republic (CPR) said late last week it would quite the government; today it says it will stay for one ore week giving it time for a Cabinet reshuffle (it wants two ministers dropped). The CPR also opposes the idea of a technocratic Cabinet, because it could lead to the return of figures from the former regime.

It's possible, as some reports suggest, that there is a real chance of a negotiated reshuffle being agreed to, but the growing polarization between Islamists and secularists raises the specter of an Egyptian-style standoff. Neither country can sustain an extended political deadlock given the deepening economic problems in each.



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