Tunisia's opposition refuse re-shuffle

A number of Tunisian opposition parties are refusing to participate in the expected ministerial change in the government led by the Islamic Renaissance Movement, while the political advisor to the Tunisian prime minister, Lotfi Zaiton, announced that the expected cabinet reshuffle will be announced at the weekend. In a statement to Arabstoday, the secretary-general of the Republican Party, Maya Jribi said that her party was not interested in expanding the coalition, and would not take part in the expected cabinet reshuffle adding that the ruling party’s intention on expanding the coalition and seeking an alternative method of governing "confirms the existence of a real problem". Jribi added that in her opinion, the solution doesn’t lie in expanding the coalition, but in management, adding that the government should form a limited number of government bodies  whose priorities should be the economy and social needs, while politicians work on the agreement for a road-map to manage the remaining period of the transition. The general coordinator of the leftist National Democratic Party, Chokri Belaid said “the Renaissance  movement which leads the ruling coalition doesn’t have a national programme that serves the goals of the revolution, and therefore we can’t agree to the coalition.” For its part, the Tunisian Workers’ Party said that the expected cabinet reshuffle is an attempt to obscure the failures of the government and to extend its duration, particularly at a time when the social situation threatens further unrest. In  a statement it said that the ruling movement's plans to get out of this crisis, will leave it isolated, in addition to the threat by the leftist front, which is managing to scare off its opponents even while still in the formation stage. On the other hand, Slim Boukhdhir, member of the political office of the Wafa movement  stressed that the hypothesis of joining the government if associated to the paper presented by the political line of the movement, whose first principle was to achieve the goals of the revolution.” He added in a statement to Arabstoday that the members of Wafa movement don’t want ministerial positions as much as they want to achieve the goals of the revolution. In a related context, the leaks regarding the cabinet reshuffle to be announced by the Tunisian prime minister Hamadi Jebali, which his political advisor Lotfi Zaiton, said should be announced by the end of the week. He added that he doesn’t know which ministries will be included in the re-shuffle, and that his might be one of them. A government source says the re-shuffle will include at least 5 ministries,namely the ministries of development, environment, commerce, industry and labour, while, the leading ministries of the interior, defence, foreign affairs and justice will not undergo modification. Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi, leader of the ruling party, has announced the 9th conference of the movement has approved the amendments of Hamadi Jibali’s government, to expand the ruling coalition.