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Tunisia Announces New Unity Government

VOA Sports 17 January 2011

Tunisia's prime minister announced a new coalition government Monday, as security forces used water cannon and tear gas to repel protesters in the country's capital, Tunis.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi said the ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs would keep their posts. Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in an uprising last week, ending two decades of authoritarian rule.

Najib Chebbi, the founder of the opposition PDP party, and two other opposition leaders will have cabinet posts in the new government.

Security forces tried to stabilize demonstrations in the capital as helicopters swirled overhead Monday.

The capital remains heavily occupied by military tanks and heavily armed riot police, while many stores and businesses are closed.

Presidential elections are to be held in 60 days.

Prime Minister Ghannouchi said the country will work toward transparent, fair elections held under the supervision of international observers.

He said the elections will allow freedom of speech and freedom of the press and will represent all political parties.

Fighting had erupted Sunday afternoon around the presidential palace, about 15 kilometers north of Tunis. Tunisian military sources say the army and members of the country's new presidential guard repelled attacks from militias loyal to the ousted president.

The military also arrested dozens of people, including two former top security officials, for allegedly conspiring against the acting Tunisian government.

The former president and members of his family flew to Saudi Arabia Friday after a month of protests and rioting over official corruption and unemployment. The unrest has claimed dozens of lives.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a telephone call Sunday to Tunisia's foreign minister Kamel Morjane, urged the country's new leadership to restore order as quickly as possible. She noted the Tunisian government is going through a period of significant transition, but she stressed the "importance of addressing popular concerns about the lack of civil liberties and economic opportunities."

The State Department has warned U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Tunisia, saying it is withdrawing all embassy families because of the unrest and urging all Americans to consider leaving the country.