Tunisian Islamists seek coalition

Tunisian Islamist party Ennahdha is in discussions with other secular parties on forming a coalition to steer a post-revolution government, a leader said. More than 90 percent of the eligible voters took to the polls last weekend in Tunisia to pick the 217 members of an assembly that would draft a new constitution and pave the way to future elections. Islamist party Ennahdha took the plurality of the vote but fell short of the absolute majority. Ali Aridhi, a high-ranking official in the party, was quoted by Bloomberg News as saying the group was courting its secular colleagues. "Ennahdha had serious talks during the electoral campaign and after the elections with secular parties like Ettakatol and the Congress for the Republic," he said. "We do not want to monopolize power; we call for a coalition or a national unity government." Party leaders stress that Ennahdha has a moderate take on Shariah law. It said it promotes freedom of religion and won't do undermine a law from the 1950s that outlawed polygamy and gave women equal rights. Tunisia was heralded as a pioneer for regional political change, sparking the so-called Arab Spring with its Jasmine Revolution in late 2010. Six months ago, Ennahdha was barred from political activity.