Tunisia: Murder most foul - Features - Al Jazeera English

The resulting crisis has led to the collapse of the government, and could potentially doom the election that was set to take place later this year.

Many say the killing is unsurprising, and that the Islamist-led government bears a heavy responsibility for tolerating and fuelling a deep partisan divide and a culture of political violence.

A star of the Popular Front, a leftist political alliance of which his party is a member, Belaid had many supporters among those who accused the current government of failing to deliver on social justice and economic development.

Tunisia: Murder most foul - Features - Al Jazeera English

In October, Lotfi Naqdh - a regional leader of the secularist conservative Nida Tounes Party - was beaten to death in the southern town of Tatouine. His death followed an outbreak of violence between his party and government supporters, the first big flare-up of interparty violence.

The government claimed he died of a heart attack, but an autopsy last week confirmed that Naqdh had died as a result of lynching at the hands of government supporters. Said Chebli, the head of the Tatouine branch of Leagues for the Protection of the Revolution is one of the people implicated in Naqdh's killing.

Ali Fares, a MP of the ruling Ennahdha party, called on Thursday for Chebli and other suspects in the mob lynching to be released. "These people came out into the streets for the noble cause of defending the revolution, and instead of paying them homage, they have been incarcerated," Fares declared.

A Tunis, les islamistes d'Ennahda sous pression après l'assassinat d'un opposant		In Tunis, the Islamist of Ennahda under pressure after the assassination of an opponent
Le parti islamiste Ennahda, au pouvoir en Tunisie depuis moins de deux ans, est-il au bord de l'implosion ? Vingt-quatre heures après avoir annoncé la constitution d'un nouveau gouvernement d'union nationale en réaction à l'assassinat de l'opposant Chokri Belaïd, exécuté mercredi 6 février en pleine rue, le premier ministre Hamadi Jebali a été désavoué par sa propre famille politique. "Nous avons refusé cette proposition prise sans consultation de la coalition ni du bureau exécutif d'Ennahda", expliquait, jeudi, Sahbi Atig, chef du groupe parlementaire du parti islamiste, majoritaire à l'Assemblée nationale constituante tunisienne.		Is the Islamist party Ennahda, in power in Tunisia for less than two years, on the verge of implosion? Twenty-four hours after announcing the formation of a new government of national unity in response to the assassination of opposition Chokri Belaid, executed Wednesday, February 6th in the street, the Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has been disowned by his own political family. "We rejected this decision without consulting the coalition or the Ennahda executive" , explained, Thursday, Sahbi Atig, parliamentary leader of the Islamist party, which holds the majority in the National Constituent Assembly in Tunisia.
Dans la soirée, au palais de Carthage balayé par de fortes pluies, les consultations allaient bon train entre le président Moncef Marzouki et les représentants de partis politiques. Mais le porte-parole de la présidence confessait "n'avoir aucune information". "Ou M. Jebali présente sa démission, ou bien celle de son gouvernement, mais pour l'instant ce n'est pas le cas", expliquait Adnene Mansar.		In the evening, at the Palace of Carthage swept by heavy rains, consultations and representatives of political parties. But the spokesman of the Presidency admitted "having no information." "Either Mr. Jebali resigns, or his government does, but for now this is not the case," , explained Adnene Mansar.

The constitutional situation is unclear, for the excellent reason that the constitution hasn't been written yet. The Constituent Assembly, whose job it is, is deadlocked, unable to assemble the required two-thirds majority required to approve a text.

The announced intention of the Prime Minister of forming a "technocratic" government is pretty clearly out of order, however :

Tunisie : la transition démocratique en danger | Tunisie libre | Rue89 Les blogs		Tunisia's democratic transition in danger | free Tunisia | Rue89 Blogs
Lors d'une conférence de presse, Adnane Manser, porte parole de la Présidence de la République a tranché :		At a press conference, Adnan Manser, spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic declared:
« S'il veut remplacer l'intégralité de son gouvernements, Hamadi Jebali doit remettre sa démission au Président de la République qui est tenu de choisir le candidat proposé par le parti majoritaire à la Constittuante, donc Ennahdha.		"If he wants to replace his entire government, Hamadi Jebali must submit his resignation to the President of the Republic who shall select the candidate proposed by the majority party in the Constituante, which is Ennahdha.
Si un gouvernement n'est pas formé dans les deux semaines, c'est le Chef de l'Etat qui choisit la personnalité la plus apte. Mais la Constituante est toujours détentrice de la souveraineté. »		If a government is not formed within two weeks, the Head of State then chooses the most suitable personality. But the Constituent still holds sovereignty. "
Cette déclaration a eu pour triple effet de réaffirmer l'ordre constitutionnel à un moment de flottement, de redonner la main à Ennahdha et de préserver le rôle de la troika, mais aussi d'affaiblir la position de Hamadi Jebali, du moins dans un premier temps.		This declaration had the triple effect of reaffirming constitutional order in a moment of hesitation, to restore the initiative to Ennahdha and tp preserve the role of the troika, but also to weaken the position of Hamadi Jebali, at least in the short term.

The "Troika" is the three governmental parties : Ennahdha (which has 89 seats out of 217 in the Constituent Assembly),  Congrès pour la République and Ettakatol, which are secular parties of the left.

The governmental crisis was already open before the murder of Belaïd, by the refusal of the two other parties of the cabinet reshuffle proposed by the Prime Minister. They were resisting the hegemonic tendencies of Ennahdha. So the current Tunisian government probably has no majority in parliament.

A lot depends on whether Ennahdha can behave responsibly; this means compromise, or they will find no partners to form a government.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Twitter / Sarah_bh: "@Papiillon: Al Jazeera diffuse ...

Sarah Ben Hamadi ‏@Sarah_bh 23m

"@Papiillon: Al Jazeera diffuse les funérailles de #ChokriBelaid avec une bande son pré-enregistrée de slogans pro-gouvernentaux #FuckQatar"

"Al Jazeera broadcasts Chokri Belaid's funeral with a pre-recorded soundtrack of pro-government slogans"

Which raises the question, once again, of the difference between Al Jazeera English (fairly liberal) and the Arab version.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Twitter / ThBresillon: Attente du cercueil dans la ...

Thierry Bresillon ‏@ThBresillon 1h

Attente du cercueil dans la pluie, le vent glacial et les effluves de lacrymo #chokribelaid

"Waiting for the coffin in the rain, the freezing wind and the odour of teargas"

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Échauffourées en Tunisie pour les obsèques de Chokri Belaïd		clashes in Tunisia for the funeral of Chokri Belaid
Jamais une foule aussi nombreuse ne s'était rassemblée pour des obsèques en Tunisie depuis celles, en 2000, d'Habib Bourguiba, le "père" de l'indépendance et premier président du pays. Scandant des slogans hostiles aux islamistes, au moins 50 000 personnes ont gagné les rues de Tunis, vendredi 8 février, pour participer aux funérailles de l'opposant Chokri Belaïd, dont l'assassinat a accentué la crise profonde que traverse le pays, berceau du "printemps arabe".		As large a crowd hadn't gathered for a funeral in Tunisia since that of Habib Bourguiba, the "father" of independence and first president of the country, in 2000. Chanting slogans against the Islamists, at least 50,000 people were in the streets of Tunis, Friday, February 8, to attend the funeral of pooposition leader Chokri Belaid, whose assassination has accentuated the deep crisis facing the country, the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" .

Western governments have succeeded in the past in installing thugs favorable to western interests. It probably is more difficult to promote the interests of a majority that actually want a more representative and democratic government. Can they let go of the bright shiny object of control for economic exploitation and actually help a pro-representative democracy majority succeed or will they try to hang on to influence at the cost of the entire society catching fire?

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."