TUNIS — During the Oct. 3 protests in support of Tunisian President Kais Saied in the coastal Monastir province in northeastern Tunisia, a group of people threw into the sea a coffin they said contained the body of the Islamic Ennahda movement in a symbolic move expressing the death of the movement and its political demise.

Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets in various provinces of the country in the first days of October to support Saied’s recent measures, including sacking the government and suspending parliament.

Among many demands, protesters called for the dissolution of the parliament controlled by Ennahda and to hold accountable the movement that has been participating in the rule for the past 10 years and has failed at all levels.

In addition to the growing popular discontent, Ennahda has also been dealt a heavy blow amid unprecedented divisions recently. On Sept. 25, 113 leaders and prominent members of the movement announced in a statement their resignation in protest against the leadership’s performance (in reference to Rachid Ghannouchi, head of the movement since its official establishment in 1981, before it was recognized by the authorities after the 2011 revolution).