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Tunisian
Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali says he will form a new government without
political affiliations in response to the murder of a prominent
opposition leader.
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Tunisia Reels From Political Killing; PM Shuffles Ministers
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February 06, 2013
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali says he will form a new
government without political affiliations in response to the murder of a
prominent opposition leader.
Mr. Jebali announced the move Wednesday on national television as thousands of protesters clashed with police in the capital in response to the murder of Chokri Belaid, a leading member of a leftist coalition formed last year. As clashes escalated, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which rules in an uneasy coalition with secularists.
The prime minister said the new government will have a mandate limited to managing the affairs of the country until elections are held, and that will be as soon as possible.
Belaid, a leader of the Popular Front party, was shot as he was leaving his home in Tunis. No arrests have been reported.
Hours later, the Popular Front said it is pulling out of the constituent assembly charged with writing a new constitution, and a spokesman told reporters the group will call for a general strike to protest Belaid's murder.
Other demonstrations continued across Tunisia - including in Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings - in scenes reminiscent of the country's largely peaceful revolution two years ago.
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki canceled a planned trip to a summit in Cairo because of the killing.
Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Mr. Marzouki said his country has many enemies who want the revolution to fail.
An array of politicians denounced Belaid's death, including Ennahda party chief Rached Ghannouchi, who said the killers want a "bloodbath" in Tunisia.
Mr. Jebali announced the move Wednesday on national television as thousands of protesters clashed with police in the capital in response to the murder of Chokri Belaid, a leading member of a leftist coalition formed last year. As clashes escalated, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which rules in an uneasy coalition with secularists.
The prime minister said the new government will have a mandate limited to managing the affairs of the country until elections are held, and that will be as soon as possible.
Belaid, a leader of the Popular Front party, was shot as he was leaving his home in Tunis. No arrests have been reported.
Hours later, the Popular Front said it is pulling out of the constituent assembly charged with writing a new constitution, and a spokesman told reporters the group will call for a general strike to protest Belaid's murder.
Other demonstrations continued across Tunisia - including in Sidi Bouzid, birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings - in scenes reminiscent of the country's largely peaceful revolution two years ago.
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki canceled a planned trip to a summit in Cairo because of the killing.
Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Mr. Marzouki said his country has many enemies who want the revolution to fail.
An array of politicians denounced Belaid's death, including Ennahda party chief Rached Ghannouchi, who said the killers want a "bloodbath" in Tunisia.
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