Tunisia's PPC head to run in March elections

The Chairman of Tunisia's Party of Progressive Conservatives (PPC), Mohammed Hechmi Hamdi, on Sunday announced that he will be running for the next general election scheduled for March 2013. Hamdi, who currently lives in British capital London, said to the London-based TV channel al-Mahabba that he will lead his party's quest to reach the top political position in the country, especially if the new constitution (currently being drafted) is to state that Tunisia's political regime will be a parliamentary one. The PPC, the political face of the Popular Petition movement, on Saturday declared the dissolution of the party's executive bureau, saying that it would be reconstituted within a month. The decision came on the back of several resignations by PPC members in the Constituent Assembly assigned to draft the constitution.  Commenting on the issue, the party's chairman said: "The Popular Petition MPs are not seeking power and not trying to exploit religion to serve their political ambitions either." Hamdi insisted the movement was dedicated to struggling for freedom, dignity and social justice for all Tunisians, particularly the poor.  He also attacked the current government led by the Islamist Ennahda movement, saying: "It has even failed to guarantee the fundamental services for the people," referring to the recent crisis in several Tunisian cities which suffer frequent cuts in electricity and water supplies.