Tunisian Labour Union rejects new election schedule

UGTT rejected to set up elections in June 2013 Tunis – Azhaar al-Jarboui The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) has rejected the Troika’s decision to set up elections in June 2013 because it is too short notice. They also complained that there would not be time to set up an independent committee for the elections. The UGTT called for a meeting in order to overcome the difficulties the political arena is facing in Tunisia. Two parties, Al-Nahda and the Congress for the Republic boycotted the meeting.
Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and President Moncef Marzouki took part in the meeting despite their parties' decision to boycott the event. The meeting gathered 40 political parties.
Jebali said in his speech: “The success of democracy in Tunisia is not the work of only one party, regardless of their importance.
“We are the locomotive of the Arab Spring. Now we celebrate the first anniversary of the October elections, which marks the beginning of a democratic transition in our country.”
He stressed that the country is going through a critical stage which demanded attention on the fundamental issues.
Marzouki said: “Tunisia is really suffering from this crisis”.
The reason behind El-Naha and the Congress for the Republic parties boycotting the dialogue was the presence of the party Call of Tunisia, an increasingly popular party in Tunisia, led by the former Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi.
UGTT secretary general Houcine Abessi said that Tunisia needed cooperation between all Tunisians and uniting their efforts regardless of the ideologies and political backgrounds.
He expressed his regrets for the absence of the boycotting parties .
The Office manager of Al-Nahda leader Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi told Arabstoday that the movement can’t make peace with the remnants of the former regime, who helped the former president during his years of tyranny and falsifications.
At the same time, Congress for the Republic Party led by the Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki totally rejected any dialogue with whoever might doubt the legitimacy of the state institutions formed according to the elections of the National Constituent council last October 23.
Leader of the same party Tarek al-Kahlawy told Arabstoday that the Troika, the ruling coalition, refused to participate because of the presence of parties they consider belonging to the former regime and they deny the legitimacy of Tunisia’s elections and institutions. There were also extreme leftist parties which believe the era of legitimacy is gone.
Most observers believe the absence of Al-Nahda and the Congress for the Republic is a strong blow to the UGTT initiative which could lead to its early abortion.
Several Islamic parties attacked the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) as they were accused of being related to the former regime.
Head of the Tunisian movement “Wafa”, Abdel Raouf Ayadi, who defected the Congress party accused the union of protecting the corrupts because of the presence of former leaderships inside it among the figures responsible of the continuity of Ben Ali’s regime.
He stressed that the union is a syndical organisation which was expected to play a more specified role in the social negotiations and reform the social assurance system.
Several political and civil leaderships in Tunisia demanded the former secretary general of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) Abd al-Salm Jrad to be brought to justice for conspiring with Ben Ali and financial corruption.