A political deadlock has been left behind in Tunisia after the country’s interim coalition government’s biggest partner Ennahda Party reportedly accepted a roadmap that included the resignation of the coalition government in the North African country.
A four-membered platform -- that drawn up the roadmap for transition -- led by the General Workers Union (UGTT) said in a jointly penned statement that talks to form a new and independent caretaker government that would prepare the country for elections and safeguard the democratic transition will start next week.
"Ennahda has accepted the plan without conditions to get the country out of the political crisis," the UGTT said.
The roadmap also consists steps such as the formation of the new interim government by an independent candidate, re-convention of a constituent assembly, writing of a new constitution and making new election laws.
Anti-government protests against the longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on 18 December 2010 in Tunisia led to the ousting of the president in January 2011.
Following elections in October 2011, Ennahda Movement formed a coalition government with Congress for the Republic Party and Ettakatol Party.
Tunisian political parties and mediators have long been working on ending a deep political crisis that threatens the country's transition to democracy.
The country's opposition has called for the dissolution of the constituent assembly, in which Ennahda is by far the largest bloc, charging it of being well behind schedule on writing a new constitution.
It also demanded the resignation of the coalition government and its replacement by a non-party government of national salvation.
The galvanising incident behind this new opposition movement was the assassination on July 25 of assembly member Mohammed Brahmi, whose small leftist party, the Popular Movement, had won two seats in the 2011 election.
Brahmi's murder led opposition parties to pull their deputies out of the parliament.
His killing was the second such political assassination this year, following the similar shooting on February 6 of another leftist politician, lawyer Chokri Belaid.
The opposition accuses Ennahda of having allowed religious extremism to flourish, and a threatening atmosphere to develop around those who defend the country's tradition of having a secular state, accusations refuted by the party.
