Tunisia’s new parliament opened on Wednesday with a session to elect a speaker, a task likely to prove difficult in a deeply divided chamber but which will provide insight into wider efforts to form a government.

The moderate Islamist Ennahda came first in last month’s election, but took only 52 of 217 seats forcing it to compromise to win majority support for its preferred speaker and prime minister.

However, its efforts to build a coalition with several rival parties have so far come to nothing and Tunisia continues with a caretaker government under the existing prime minister, Youssef Chahed.

Wednesday’s election for speaker represents a big test for Ennahda, which was banned before Tunisia’s 2011 revolution but has since played a big role in several coalition governments.

It has nominated its veteran leader Rached Ghannouchi, who ran for elected office for the first time in last month’s vote, but he faces competition from two rival politicians.

Friday is the deadline for Ennahda, as the biggest party in parliament, to name its nominee for prime minister, starting the clock on a two-month process for that person to form a government.