TUNIS — The Executive Bureau of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda — which holds a plurality of 68 out of 217 parliament seats and is represented in the government — announced July 21 on Facebook that Rachid Ghanouchi, the movement's founder and thus far its only leader, will head its candidate list in the Tunis 1 district in legislative elections scheduled for Oct. 6.
Parties had from July 22-29 to submit candidate lists to the Independent High Authority for Elections. Ennahda spokesman Emad al-Khamiri told Tunis Afrique Presse July 21 that the decision on Ghannouchi heading Ennahda's list had been made the day before at an extraordinary meeting of the party's Executive Bureau. He added that Ennahda's lists for other electoral districts will be made public at a later stage. The Shura Council is the authority charged by party rules with drafting candidate lists.
