Tunisian scholar and politician The Tunisian scholar and politician Rached Ghannouchi returned home, in 2011, from a decades-long European exile after the Arab spring toppled Tunisia's dictator. He offered a vision of a moderate, modern and inclusive political movement. He co-founded the Ennahda Movement, currently the largest party in Tunisia. When his Ennahda party won a resounding election victory, Rached Ghannouchi endorsed a secular election partner as President. He took no office for himself. Rached Ghannouchi or Rashid al-Ghannushi was born outside El Hamma, in the Qabis province of southern Tunisia.