Abid Briki was elected secretary general of the Tunisie en Avant movement for a five-year term during the party's first electoral congress, held over three days in Hammamet. The congress also elected 17 members of the movement's political bureau and adopted reports and motions containing economic and social programmes, Briki told TAP. The congress marked the adoption of the movement's new structure, which includes the political bureau and a 71-member central committee that meets every three months, as well as a national council that brings together representatives from regions and localities not represented in the central committee. Regarding the party's political orientations, Abid Briki stated that the movement will continue to support the July 25 process, which he considers "the first step towards national and social liberation, especially with regard to the Palestinian cause and the country's attitude towards the International Monetary Fund (IMF)". However, he stressed that the party's support for the July 25 process will not be unconditional, "but rather based on a critical analysis of the facts". Briki said that the movement would not field a candidate in the presidential elections. Regarding the relationship between the executive and the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), Abid Briki stated that "economic growth and development can only be achieved by creating an investment climate based on political stability and social security, which is why it is necessary to deal with the trade union organisation, given its socio-economic role, and to establish a constructive dialogue". "We favour a national dialogue that ensures a minimum consensus on issues that bring us together to overcome the problems that hinder us and to avoid tensions," he said, calling for efforts to lay the foundations for political stability by engaging with political parties that support the process. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse