Tunisian parties formalise power-sharing agreement

Tunisia’s three main parties formalised a power-sharing agreement, 10 months after the ousting of the north African country’s strongman Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Hamadi Jebali of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which took the most votes in elections last month, will serve as Prime Minister.

The other top jobs of president and chairman of the new constituent assembly are divided between two left-wing parties.

Moncef Marzouki of the leftist Congress for the Republic Party will be president, and Ettakatol’s Mustapha Ben Jaafar will chair the body tasked with drafting a new constitution. The 217-member assembly will meet for the first time on Tuesday to confirm the three posts.

“This is a historical moment for free Tunisia,” said a spokesman for Ennahda, Nurredine Bhiri, after the three parties signed their agreement in front of the press at a hotel in Tunis.

Mr Jebali, 63, a moderate Islamist, is the deputy leader of Ennahda, whose leader, Rached Ghannouchi, is associated with a more hardline position on Islam.

Mr Jebali’s credibility comes in part from the fact that he spent 15 years in Ben Ali’s jails.