Tunisian Protesters Push for Interim Government Ouster
Lisa Bryant | Tunis 19 January 2011
Tunisia's fledgling interim government struggled to remain afloat Wednesday as demonstrators again took to the streets of Tunis calling for its ouster.
Hundreds of angry Tunisians protested for a sixth straight day in downtown Tunis, demanding all members of the old ruling establishment out of politics altogether.
"RCD degage!" the protesters chanted -- calling on the RCD party, which has retained an iron grip on power for more than half a century be banned and dismantled.
Days of protests succeeded in chasing Tunisia's strongman president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali from the country. Now the future of the interim government appears uncertain after at least four opposition ministers quit on Tuesday.
Interim Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi has promised a number of reforms including on human rights and free press. He and Interim President Fouad Mebazaa have quit the RCD party.
While a number of Tunisians interviewed in recent days are willing to give this interim government a chance -- protesters like 54-year-old Habib want it out -- and every vestige of Tunisia's political past dismantled. "We don't want to have people from the old party, the old government in the new...government,” he said. “Those people who are in the new government are just cheating us."
Tunisians on the street also warned against foreign interference in their revolt, and criticized France and the United States in particular, for supporting the pro-Western Ben Ali regime in the past.
We have no confidence in America, one woman shouted. They said nothing against the abuses during Ben Ali's regime, so they should keep their mouths shut now. We won't listen to what the US says -- or France, or Europe.
The United States, France and the European Union have issued messages of support for the Tunisian people and called for free and fair elections and democracy in this North African country.
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