Ghannouchi is one of the world’s leading Islamic thinkers and one of the most influential Arab politicians in the post-Arab Spring period. Authoring over 20 books, he has led a life filled with imprisonment, exile, and governance.  

Politics: Ghannouchi co-founded Ennahda Movement (‘Renaissance’) in the 1970s and was im­prisoned several times before being forced into exile. Ennahda is a political party based on Islamic values and supports the concept of a mul­ti-party democracy. In 2012 he received the Chatham House Prize for “the successful compromises each achieved during Tunisia’s democratic transition” and in 2016 he received the Jamnalal Bajaj Award for “promoting Gandhian values outside India”.

Post-Arab Spring: With the fall of President Ben Ali, Ghannouchi returned to Tunisia in January 2011 having spent 20 years in exile. He led the Ennahda Party to victory in the October 2011 national elections. In 2014, Ghannouchi quit govern­ment and handed power over to a technocratic gov­ernment. When elections were held later that year, Ennahda, without Ghannouchi leading them, came second to the Nidaa Tounes party. The 2019 elections produced a deeply fragmented parliament with the government collapsing just five months into its term. Ghannouchi, who was elected speaker of parliament, narrowly won a vote of confidence in July 2020.

Imprisonment Again:  Since 2021, following President Kais Saied’s suspension of parliament and consolidation of power, Ghannouchi has been targeted by the judiciary. He was arrested in April 2023.  In February 2024, he was sentenced to three years in prison, then in February 2025, in a major new verdict, he was handed an additional 22 years in prison for alleged conspiracy linked to a media-PR firm case and in July 2025 a court added yet another 14-year sentence on charges of plotting against state security.