Tunisian presidential hopeful Innoubli aims to nurture political diversity

2009-10-23

His critics call him a piece of "décor", but Ahmed Innoubli considers his run for president an opportunity to bring diversity to Tunisia's political scene.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 23/10/09

[Mona Yahia] Ahmed Innoubli hopes his campaign will broaden Tunisia's political landscape.

Ahmed Innoubli, a contender in the Sunday (October 25th) Tunisian presidential election, is defending his candidacy as an example of "political diversity" and rebutting accusations that his campaign is mere window-dressing in an unfair race.

Mirroring the ongoing public debate surrounding the upcoming polls, the newspaper Assabah last week described Innoubli as no more than a "huge piece of décor in political life."

Innoubli, the secretary-general of the Unionist Democratic Union (UDU), has a message for such detractors.

"If by 'piece of décor', they mean 'political diversity', all components of the political arena are like a mosaic of many colours," Innoubli told local press on October 11th. "If they mean something else, like… allegiance to power, I'd say to them: please have some political ethics."

"Who gave you the right to categorise parties and declare yourselves judges, when you are parties to the contest yourselves?" added the candidate.

Both Innoubli and Popular Unity Party candidate Mohamed Bouchiha are "close to the ruling elite", Reuters stated on October 15th. Rounding out the field of candidates is a third, the Ettajdid Movement's Ahmed Brahim. But a victory by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who is seeking his fifth term, is widely seen as a foregone conclusion.

Innoubli's platform promises "total development of the media scene, especially state-owned media, so that it shoulders its social responsibility and its role in raising awareness, educating people and enhancing pluralism and the right to be different." He has also vowed to ensure that public education remains mandatory and free, boost women's gains, and protect the public sector in general.

In the face of scepticism about the nature of the race itself, Innoubli justifies his candidacy as a political step and an opportunity to showcase his party's vision.

"We decided to run for president, though we were aware of the equation," he said. "That is why we announced at that time that our candidacy does not depend on the elections, but is politically and culturally-bound."

In a statement to Magharebia, Abdel Kerim Omar, a member of the political office at the UDU, echoed this perspective.

"We may share certain characteristics with other parties, but we have a unique interpretation of our own, because we are realistic and we realise what is going on in the Tunisian street," he said. "At this point, we need to accumulate experience in order to arrive at a parliamentary republic, where the Parliament would be entitled to hold the government accountable."

Innoubli said he disagrees with calls to boycott the elections, "because I believe that man's dignity lies in his constant endeavours to overcome difficulties … no matter what it compromises."

"We're also aware of the reality of our organisation's size. Nonetheless, we'll still try to shake up the national state of affairs, in the direction of development and modernisation," he added.

For now, Innoubli's supporters are sure there's merit to his run for office.

"I think Innoubli is the voice of all those who have no voice in this country," said one Innoubli backer, Seif El Din Rahrah. "He represents the masses, who suffer from marginalisation amidst growing unemployment."