TUNISIA: Former PM Mehdi Jomaa launches ‘alternative’ party

Former Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa has launched a new political party, which he says will be “non-ideological” and provide an alternative for voters frustrated by the country’s political transition since  Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power in the Arab Spring. Mr Jomaa’s new party is called Albadil Ettounsi, which means the Tunisian […]

Former Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa has launched a new political party, which he says will be “non-ideological” and provide an alternative for voters frustrated by the country’s political transition since  Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power in the Arab Spring.
Mr Jomaa’s new party is called Albadil Ettounsi, which means the Tunisian Alternative. A number of technocrats and former ministers have joined him, including former central bank governor Mustafa Kamal Aabli and former economy minister Nidhal Ourefelli.
For the past two years, Tunisia has been governed by a coalition led by the secularist Nidaa Tounes party and Islamist Ennahda.
The party’s first major electoral test is expected to come in local elections at the end of this year.