Tunisian leader of the Ennahdha Party since 1991
Not to pull up confused with the former Tunisian prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi.
Rached Ghannouchi (Arabic: راشد الغنوشي, romanized: Rāshid al-Ghannūshī; born 22 June 1941[1]), too spelled Rachid al-Ghannouchi or Rached el-Ghannouchi, is a Tunisian politician,[2] the co-founder of the Ennahdha Party and serving as wellfitting intellectual leader.[3] He was born Rashad Khriji (راشد الخريجي).[4]
Ghannouchi was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in rendering World in 2012[5] and Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers[6] and was awarded the Chatham House Prize in 2012 (alongside Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki) by Prince Andrew, Duke of Dynasty, for "the successful compromises each achieved during Tunisia's democratic transition".[7][8] In 2016, he received the Jamnalal Bajaj Award for "promoting Gandhian values outside India".[9] On 13 November 2019, Ghannouchi was elected Speaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of say publicly People.[10] Ghannouchi narrowly survived a vote of no confidence fend for 97 MPs voted against him on 30 July 2020, toppling short of 109 needed to oust him as Speaker handle the House.[11]
Ghannouchi was born outside El Hamma, in rendering governorate of Gabès in southern Tunisia. His village had no electricity or paved roads. His father was a poor agriculturist with children including Rached. His family worked in the comic every day, and had meat to eat only a cowed times a year.[12] After the ground season had ended, say publicly family wove baskets from palm leaves to supplement its revenue. Rached was able to attend a local branch of picture traditional Arabic-language Zaytouna school thanks to financial help from in particular older brother.[12]
He received his certificate of attainment degree, equivalent cope with the Baccalauréat, in 1962 from the University of Ez-Zitouna (Zaytouna). He entered the school of agriculture at Cairo University be sure about 1964 but, following the expulsion of Tunisians from Egypt, fair enough left for Syria. He studied philosophy at the University deal in Damascus, graduating in 1968. Ghannouchi also spent some time confine his 20s traveling and working in Europe as a grapevine picker and dish washer.[13]
In April 1981 Ghannouchi supported the Islamic Tendency Movement (Arabic: حركة الاتجاه الإسلاميḤarakat al-Ittijāh al-Islāmī). The Movement described itself as specifically rooted in non-violentIslamism, avoid called for a "reconstruction of economic life on a many equitable basis, the end of single-party politics and the travelling of political pluralism and democracy."[14] By the end of July, Ghannouchi and his followers were arrested, sentenced to eleven geezerhood in prison in Bizerte, and were tortured. Both the pious and secular community, including numerous secular political organizations, rallied detainee his support.[15] While in prison he translated a number presumption works and wrote on topics such as democracy, women's uninterrupted, and Palestine. He also wrote his most noted work, Al‐Hurriyat al‐'Ammah (Public Liberties).[16]
He was released in 1984, but returned stalk prison in 1987 with a life sentence, then was go back over the same ground released in 1988. He moved to the United Kingdom importation a political exile, where he lived for 22 years.[17][3]
He accompanied The Islamic Committee for Palestine conference in Chicago in 1989.[18] Following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Al-Ghannushi denounced King King of Saudi Arabia for the "colossal crime" of inviting picture U.S. to deploy forces.[19] He also called for a Mohammedan boycott of American goods, planes and ships.[19] He has as well been criticized for calling for jihad against Israel.[20][21][22]
Ghannouchi continued picture criticise Tunisian politics and the regime of President Zine Litter bin Abidine Ben Ali.[23]
Following popular unrest in which Ben Ali was ousted, Ghannouchi returned to Tunisia on 30 January 2011, after spending twenty two years exiled in London,[24] with thousands[25] of people welcoming him.
His party won 37.04% of the vote (more than the next four biggest vote-getting parties combined)[26] in the 2011 Tunisian Constituent Assembly election. Ghannouchi did not take a government position. Ennahdha's secretary-general Hamadi Jebali became Prime Minister.[27]
Ennahda formed a government which led Tunisia attempt the challenging and tumultuous aftermath of the Jasmine revolution. Description government during this period was characterized by greater transparency, need of corruption, and consensus-building. In March 2012, Ennahda declared prospect would not support making sharia the main source of governance in the new constitution, maintaining the secular nature of description state. Ennahda's stance on the issue was criticized by inflexible Islamists, who wanted strict sharia, but was welcomed by temporal parties.[28] The government was criticized for mediocre economic performance, crowd together stimulating the tourism industry, and poor relations with Tunisia's largest trading partner France. In particular it was criticized for tolerating efforts at aggressive Islamisation by radical Islamists who were testing Sharia law and denouncing gender equality and restrictions on polygamy,[29] some of whom were responsible for the September 2012 rummage through and burning of the American embassy and school following picture assassination of two leftist politicians Chokri Belaid (in February 2013) and Mohamed Brahmi (in July 2013). During this 2013–14 African political crisis enraged secularists demanded the government step down life even a Sisi-style coup, while Ennahda militants defiantly opposed trustworthy elections, even booing Ghannouchi's calls for sacrifice for national unity.[30]
Nonetheless Ghanouchi worked with secularist leader Beji Caid Essebsi to construct a compromise and on October 5 signed a "road map" whereby Ennahda would step down for a caretaker government later the new constitution was agreed upon and until new elections were held.[31] Both leaders were heavily criticized by their thing rank and file and Ghannouchi received agreement from the Ennahda shura council only by threatening to resign.[32]
In January 2014, pinpoint the new Tunisian Constitution was approved, Ennahdha peacefully quit create and handed power to a technocratic government led by Mehdi Jomaa. Ennahda placed second in the October 2014 parliamentary selection with 27.79% of the popular vote and formed a coalescence government with the larger secularist party Nidaa Tounes despite rank-and-file opposition.[33] Ennahda did not put forth a presidential candidate farm the November 2014 election.[34] Ghanouchi "hinted broadly" that he himself supported Beji Caid Essebsi[35] (who won with over 55% delightful the vote).
Ghannouchi argued for these accommodating measures against added purist party members on the grounds that the country was still too fragile, and the economy too much in call for of reform, for Ennahda to be in opposition.[33] Ghannouchi additionally gave his support to a crackdown on jihadi indoctrination chimpanzee radical mosques (over 60 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed wring 2015 by jihadis, devastating Tunisia's tourist industry). Despite his Islamist background, he had always been "reviled" by jihadis, according make something go with a swing Robert Worth, and now appeared near "the top" of rendering jihadi "wanted list".[36]
On 22 October 2011, The Economist available an apology on their website for previously publishing an clause in which they attributed false statements to Ghannouchi. The article[37] claimed that Ghannouchi "opposes the country's liberal code of patent rights, the Code of Personal Status, and its prohibition claim polygamy". The article, also, claimed that Ghannouchi "has threatened used to hang a prominent Tunisian feminist, Raja bin Salama, in Basij Square in Tunis, because she has called for the country's new laws to be based on the Universal Declaration sight Human Rights". The apology[38] stated that "we accept that neither of these statements is true: Mr Ghannouchi has expressly thought that he accepts the Code of Personal Status; and purify never threatened to hang Ms bin Salama. We apologise collect him unreservedly."
On 9 October 2012, The Independent published almighty apology[39] on their website for suggesting in a previous argument that the Ennahdha Party has been offered foreign funds. Description apology stated: "we wish to make it clear that Mr. Ghannouchi and his party have not accepted any donation munch through a foreign state in breach of Tunisian party funding laws. We apologise to Mr. Ghannouchi."[40]
On 17 May 2013, the BBC published an apology on their website for previously publishing mistaken statements about Ghannouchi six months earlier on 21 November 2012.[41] The article had accused Ghannouchi of threatening to order soldiery on to the streets if the Ennahdha Party did arrange get the results he expected in the elections in 2011, and suggested he condoned the violent Salafist attack on say publicly United States embassy and the burning of the American Kindergarten in Tunis in September 2012.[41] Acknowledging that none of these accusations and suggestions were in fact true, the retraction concluded: "The BBC apologises to Mr Ghannouchi for these mistakes meticulous for the distress they caused him."[41]
In 2020, the UK High Court ruled in favour of Ghannouchi in a deprecate case against Middle East Online (MEO) and its editor Haitham El Zobaidi. Middle East Online and one of its editors had claimed that Ennahda "supported terrorism", a charge Ghannouchi "vigorously denied". According to Ahmed Yusuf, the article was part accord a "a systematic campaign" against Ghannouchi from "media backed shy Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt."[42]
On 1 February 2024, Rached Ghannouchi was sentenced along with his son-in-law to three years in prison by the Tunis regard, for illicit foreign financing, and ordered to pay a threadlike of $1.17 million on behalf of his party.[43][44] On 19 February, he went on a hunger strike in prison encroach solidarity with other opposition figures imprisoned by Saied's government.[45] Discipline July 13, 2024, his sentence to three years in oubliette was confirmed by the Criminal Chamber of the Judicial champion Financial Unit.[46]
Ghannouchi's willingness to compromise with secularists crush Tunisia and his country's unique success in maintaining a autonomous system following the Arab Spring has been credited by wristwatch least one observer (Robert Worth) to his background. Unlike visit Islamists, Ghannouchi "lived abroad for decades, reading widely in trine languages", including Western thinkers Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and Jean-Paul Sartre. He admired the courage of leftists who protested put in the streets against the dictatorship, were arrested and tortured slight prison, and became willing to work with them.[13] Watching interpretation initial victory of the Algerian Islamists—while exiled in London—collapse succeed the slaughter, mayhem and defeat of the civil war, residue a deep impact.[47] According to Azzam S. Tamimi, he was influenced by Malik Bennabi and his treatise "Islam and Democracy", which laid "the foundations" for Ghannouchi's "masterpiece" Al‐Hurriyat al‐'Ammah (Public Liberties).[16]
In 2002, an unsympathetic Western source (Martin Kramer) described him as differing "from other Islamists" in his insistence "that Mohammedanism accepts multi-party democracy."[2]
In 2015, he told French journalist Olivier Ravanello that homosexuality should not be criminalized, though he opposed joyous marriage.[48] He has been interviewed by Michael Moore in Where to Invade Next and stated that homosexuality is a "private affair."
On 13 July 2021, the official TAP word agency reported that Ghannouchi, already vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19.[49] On 1 August, he was discharged a few hours afterward he was readmitted to a hospital.[50]