Ghannouchi blames crisis on Tunisia’s educational, social system | Jemai Guesmi

Ghannouchi blames crisis on Tunisia’s educational, social system | Jemai Guesmi

TUNIS - At a time when the conflict between Tunisian President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi is at its apex, and against the backdrop of widespread popular anger over the failure of successive governments to manage the economy, Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, who heads the Ennahda party, sought to distance himself from the crisis and pin blame on the country's educational and social system.

After some leading Ennahda figures accused youth protesters of being saboteurs and criminals, Ghannouchi steered the narrative in another direction. In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, he sought to show her understands the the protesters' demands, and described their grievances as not limited to Tunisia, but concerning all countries of the world.

“Conditions have prompted many groups in many regions of the country to express pain and suffering. Young people, including those under-age, were at the forefront of these protests,” said Ghannouchi.

He stressed the need to “stand by these children and youth who are victims of the failure of the educational and social system.”

In doing so, the Tunisian parliament speaker tried to absorb the popular anger, especially after tensions erupted between the president, the prime minister and parliament speaker (who are often referred to as “the