Ennahda as Tunisia’s Muslim Democratic Party

After its 1956 declaration of independence from France, Tunisia became a secular state. Islamist movements struggled for decades under authoritarian control, finding it difficult to function within the system unless they worked with other opposition parties. This chapter examines the rise of the Islamist party Ennahda and Islamism in Tunisia following the Arab Spring. Here we examine how Ennahda has adapted to the multi-party, semi-democratic environment of Tunisia. After taking power in the country's first truly democratic election in 2011, Ennahda stepped down in 2013 but came out on top in the 2019 election. However, because of President Kais Saied's authoritarian policies, Ennahda decided to sit out the 2023 election and is now once again on the sidelines.