Hamadi Jebali

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Hamadi Jebali

| image = Hamadi Jebali - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012-1 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Jebali in 2012

| office = Prime Minister of Tunisia

| president = Moncef Marzouki

| term_start = 24 December 2011

| term_end = 14 March 2013

| predecessor = Beji Caid Essebsi

| successor = Ali Laarayedh

| office1 = Secretary General of the Ennahda Movement

| leader1 = Rashid al-Ghannushi

| term_start1 = 6 June 1981

| term_end1 = 22 February 2013

| predecessor1 = Position established

| successor1 = Ali Laarayedh

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|1|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Sousse, Tunisia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Ennahda Movement {{small|(until 2014)}}

| alma_mater = Tunis University
University of Paris
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers

| native_name_lang = ar

| native_name = {{nobold|حمادي الجبالي}}

}}

Hamadi Jebali ({{langx|ar|حمادي الجبالي}}, {{transl|ar|Ḥammādī al-Jibālī}}; born 12 January 1949) is a Tunisian engineer, Muslim politician, and journalist who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from December 2011 to March 2013. He was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Movement, a moderate Islamic party in Tunisia, until he left his party in December 2014 in the course of the 2014 Tunisian presidential election.

Early life, education and professional life

Born in Sousse in 1949, Jebali received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Tunis University and added a masters programme in photovoltaic engineering at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers[https://www.leaders.com.tn/article/7198-retour-sur-le-parcours-politique-de-hamadi-jebali Retour sur le parcours politique de Hamadi Jebali] in Paris, France. As a specialist in solar energy and wind power, he founded his own enterprise in Sousse.{{Citation|first=Abdelaziz |last=Barrouhi|title=Hamadi Jebali: "Nous ne prétendons pas être les détenteurs de la vérité en Tunisie"|newspaper=Jeune Afrique |language=fr|date=13 May 2011|url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2625p046-049.xml0/|access-date=27 October 2011}}

Personal life

Hamadi Jebali comes from a family of six children: four girls and two boys.{{Cite web |title=Retour sur le parcours politique de Hamadi Jebali |url=https://www.leaders.com.tn/article/7198-retour-sur-le-parcours-politique-de-hamadi-jebali |website=leaders}}

including his brother, Ali Jebali, he is a well-known figure in Tunisia, active in professional and public affairs.

In 1957, his father, a carpenter in Sousse and a staunch Youssefist, was arrested and imprisoned; he helped his family bring a modest supply basket to his father at Habs Al Mokhtar prison.

Political and journalistic activity

In 1981 he became involved with Tunisia's Islamist movement, then called Movement of the Islamic Tendency. He was director and editor-in-chief of Al-Fajr (Dawn), the former weekly newspaper of the Islamist Ennahda Party.{{cite journal|title=Man on a Wire |journal=The Majalla |date=March 2012 |volume=1571 |page=45 |url=http://www.majalla.com/eng/print-edition-pdf/al-majalla-issue-1571.pdf |access-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715141031/http://www.majalla.com/eng/print-edition-pdf/al-majalla-issue-1571.pdf |archive-date=15 July 2012 }} Moreover, he served as longtime member of the party's executive council and remains secretary-general of Ennahda.[http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/humanrights/PGA_051858 Case Information: Hamadi Jebali], Committee on Human Rights, nationalacademies.org. Retrieved on 26 October 2011.{{Citation|first=Cecile|last=Feuillatre|title=Hamadi Jebali: The face of moderate Islamism in Tunisia|newspaper=National Post|date=26 October 2011|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/26/hamadi-jebali-the-face-of-moderate-islamism-in-tunisia/|access-date=26 October 2011}}

Criminal prosecution and imprisonment

In June 1990, Al-Fajr published an article by Rashid al-Ghannushi called "The people of the State or the State of the People?" Jebali was made responsible for the publication and received a suspended sentence and a 1,500 dinars fine for the offences of "encouraging violation of the law" and "calling for insurrection". In November 1990, the Islamist newspaper contained an essay by the lawyer Mohammed Nouri, entitled "When will military courts, serving as special courts, be abolished?" This time, a military court sentenced Hamadi Jebali to one year in prison for "defamation of a judicial institution".

In May 1992 the government claimed that it had detected plans for a coup d'état by Ennahda, which had allegedly plotted to kill President Ben Ali and establish an Islamic state. In August 1992, Jebali, along with 170 other sympathisers of Ennahda, was charged with "attempted overthrow". Jebali protested that he had no knowledge of the plot's existence, and asserted that he had been tortured, presenting marks on his body for evidence. The trial was classified as unfair by observers for Human Rights Watch, the Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights, and Amnesty International, the latter of which named Jebali a prisoner of conscience.{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde30/009/1991/en/|title=Further information on Tunisia: Imprisonment of a Journalist|date=February 1991|publisher=Amnesty International|access-date=22 January 2012}} Eventually, on 28 August 1992 Hamadi Jebali was sentenced to a prison term of 16 years for "membership in an illegal organisation" and "attempted change of the nature of the state". The Court of Cassation confirmed the verdict.

The conditions of his imprisonment were harsh. More than ten of the 15 years that Jebali spent, were in solitary confinement. Hamadi Jebali engaged in several hunger strikes to protest against the conditions and his conviction. Two of them lasted for 36 days each. In February 2006, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Tunisia's independence, Jebali was conditionally released.

Post-revolution and Prime Minister

File:Hamadi Jebali - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012-2.jpg 2012]]

Following the Tunisian revolution in January 2011, Ennahda was legalised. Since then, Hamadi Jebali has been present in public as the party's secretary-general and spokesman. In May 2011, he went to Washington, D.C. in the US at the invitation of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy.{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/political-transcript-wire/mi_8167/is_20110511/center-study-islam-democracy-holds/ai_n57470641/|title=The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy Holds a Discussion on "What Kind of Democracy for the New Tunisia: Islamic or Secular?"|publisher=BNET CBS Business Network|date=9 May 2011|access-date=21 June 2011}} He also met U.S. Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman.{{Citation|title=Washington ready to play soft Islam card |publisher=Maghreb Confidential|date=26 May 2011|url=http://www.africaintelligence.com/MCE/power-brokers/2011/05/26/washington-ready-to-play-soft-islam-card%2C90297027-EVE-login|access-date=21 June 2011}}

Ensuing Ennahda's success in the Constituent Assembly election on 23 October 2011, the party nominated him as its candidate for prime minister.{{Citation|first=Habib |last=Toumi|title=Al Nahdha likely to front its secretary general as prime minister|newspaper=Gulf News|date=26 October 2011 |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/region/tunisia/al-nahdha-likely-to-front-its-secretary-general-as-prime-minister-1.919250|access-date=26 October 2011}} Jebali is considered a proponent of the reformist wing of his party.

Interim President Moncef Marzouki appointed Jebali as Prime Minister of Tunisia on 14 December 2011.{{Citation|first=Houda |last=Mzioudet |title=Ennahda's Jebali Appointed as Tunisian Prime Minister |newspaper=Tunisia-live.net |date=14 December 2011 |url=http://www.tunisia-live.net/2011/12/14/ennahdas-jebali-appointed-as-tunisian-prime-minister/ |access-date=21 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117044127/http://www.tunisia-live.net/2011/12/14/ennahdas-jebali-appointed-as-tunisian-prime-minister/ |archive-date=17 January 2012 }} He presented his government on 20 December.{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jxEr2AGVUyAWMzckgN0gcXikwhVg?docId=CNG.796c0280e2143daa838da50cac8f6cfa.f21 |title=Tunisian PM presents new government |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=20 December 2011 |access-date=4 November 2012 |archive-date=21 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221233724/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jxEr2AGVUyAWMzckgN0gcXikwhVg?docId=CNG.796c0280e2143daa838da50cac8f6cfa.f21 |url-status=dead }} He officially took office on 24 December.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}

On 19 February 2013, he resigned from his office.{{cite web|title=Tunisia: Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigns after the failure of his firm apolitical|url=http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/afrique/tunisie-le-premier-ministre-hamadi-jebali-demissionne-apres-l-echec-de-son-cabinet-apolitique_1222484.html|publisher=lexmpress|access-date=19 February 2013}} The move followed his attempt to form a technocratic government following the assassination of Chokri Belaid and ensuing protests against the alleged Islamisation of the country. Ennahda, however, rejected his resignation insisting on a government of politicians and Jebali formally resigned after a meeting with President Moncef Marzouki saying it was in the best interests of the country. He said: "I promised if my initiative did not succeed I would resign as head of the government, and this is what I am doing following my meeting with the president. Today there is a great disappointment among the people and we must regain their trust and this resignation is a first step."{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tunisia-pm-resigns-after-cabinet-initiative-fails/1/250957.html |title=Tunisia PM resigns after cabinet initiative fails to form a technocratic government |newspaper=India Today|date=20 February 2013 |access-date=20 February 2013}} Party leader Rachid Ghannouchi then suggested a government of politicians and technocrats, while Jebali suggested that if he was tasked with forming a new government it would have to include non-partisan ministers and a variety of political representation that would lead to a new election. Unnamed opposition figures welcomed the resignation. The same day, Standard & Poor downgraded Tunisia's credit rating.{{cite web|author=Angelique Chrisafis and agencies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/20/tunisia-prime-minister-turmoil|title=Tunisian PM resigns sparking credit rating downgrade|newspaper=The Guardian|date=20 February 2013|access-date=20 February 2013}} However, the IMF said that it was still in talks for a US$1.78 billion loan to the country.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/tunisia-imf-idUSL6N0BK05020130220|title=IMF says still in touch with Tunisia on loan|newspaper=Reuters|date=20 February 2013|access-date=20 February 2013|archive-date=20 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220061223/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/tunisia-imf-idUSL6N0BK05020130220|url-status=live}}

After urging his party without success to support the interim president Moncef Marzouki in the presidential election of 2014,Eileen Byrne: [http://www.thenational.ae/world/20141220/major-political-shift-to-come-as-tunisia-votes-for-new-president#full Major Political Shift to Come as Tunisia Votes for New President.] In: The National, 20 December 2014. he left Ennahda on 10 December 2014.Zeineb Marzouk: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150425141229/http://www.tunisia-live.net/2014/12/12/hamadi-jebali-resigns-from-ennahdha-party/ Hamadi Jebali Resigns from Ennahdha.] In: Tunisia-Live.net, 12 December 2014. In January 2015, he refused to join the new party of the losing presidential candidate Marzouki[http://www.jawharafm.net/fr/article/hamadi-jebali-je-ne-ferai-jamais-partie-du-mouvement-cree-par-marzouki/92/19439 Hamadi Jebali: Je ne ferai jamais partie du mouvement créé par Marzouki.] In: JawharaFM.net, 6 January 2015. but did not rule out founding a party of his own.[http://www.tuniscope.com/article/60063/actualites/tunisie/t-hamadi-jebali-292810 Hamadi Jebali envisage de lancer un nouveau parti politique.] In: Tuniscope.com, 5 January 2015.