Tunisia swears in interim president
Source: Agencies |
January 16, 2011, Sunday
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TUNISIA swore in a new interim president yesterday, the second change of power in this North African nation in less than 24 hours, and grappled with looting, deadly fires and widespread unrest after protests forced its longtime leader to flee.
Dozens of inmates were killed in two prison fires, looters emptied shops and torched the main train station and gunfire echoed through the capital Tunis.
The interim president, Fouad Mebazaa, the former president of the lower house of parliament, ordered the creation of a unity government that could include the opposition, which had been ignored under President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's rule for 23 years.
Ben Ali fled the country on Friday for Saudi Arabia following a popular uprising and deadly riots.
Anger over corruption and the lack of jobs ignited a month of protests, but Ben Ali's departure - a key demand of demonstrators - has not calmed the unrest. While the protests were mostly peaceful, rioters burned the main train station in Tunis and looted shops after Ben Ali fled.
Mebazaa, in his first move after being sworn in, seemed intent on reconciliation and calming tensions. In his first televised address, he said he asked the premier to form a "national unity government in the country's best interests" in which all political parties will be consulted "without exception nor exclusion."
The leadership changes came at a dizzying speed. Ben Ali left abruptly on Friday night and his long-time ally, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi stepped in briefly then with a vague assumption of power that left open the possibility that Ben Ali could return. But yesterday, Constitutional Council President Fethi Abdennadher declared the president's departure was permanent and gave lawmaker Mebazaa 60 days in which to organize new elections. Hours later, Mebazza was sworn in.
A fire in a prison in the Mediterranean coastal resort of Monastir killed 42 people, coroner Tarek Mghirbi said yesterday. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Sporadic gunfire was heard around Tunis yesterday.
Smoke billowed over a giant supermarket outside the capital as looters torched and emptied it. The army fired warning shots to scare them away, to little avail. A helicopter circled low over the capital, apparently acting as a spotter for fires or pillaging.
Thousands of tourists were evacuated from the country known for its sandy beaches and desert landscapes.
Dozens of inmates were killed in two prison fires, looters emptied shops and torched the main train station and gunfire echoed through the capital Tunis.
The interim president, Fouad Mebazaa, the former president of the lower house of parliament, ordered the creation of a unity government that could include the opposition, which had been ignored under President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's rule for 23 years.
Ben Ali fled the country on Friday for Saudi Arabia following a popular uprising and deadly riots.
Anger over corruption and the lack of jobs ignited a month of protests, but Ben Ali's departure - a key demand of demonstrators - has not calmed the unrest. While the protests were mostly peaceful, rioters burned the main train station in Tunis and looted shops after Ben Ali fled.
Mebazaa, in his first move after being sworn in, seemed intent on reconciliation and calming tensions. In his first televised address, he said he asked the premier to form a "national unity government in the country's best interests" in which all political parties will be consulted "without exception nor exclusion."
The leadership changes came at a dizzying speed. Ben Ali left abruptly on Friday night and his long-time ally, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi stepped in briefly then with a vague assumption of power that left open the possibility that Ben Ali could return. But yesterday, Constitutional Council President Fethi Abdennadher declared the president's departure was permanent and gave lawmaker Mebazaa 60 days in which to organize new elections. Hours later, Mebazza was sworn in.
A fire in a prison in the Mediterranean coastal resort of Monastir killed 42 people, coroner Tarek Mghirbi said yesterday. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Sporadic gunfire was heard around Tunis yesterday.
Smoke billowed over a giant supermarket outside the capital as looters torched and emptied it. The army fired warning shots to scare them away, to little avail. A helicopter circled low over the capital, apparently acting as a spotter for fires or pillaging.
Thousands of tourists were evacuated from the country known for its sandy beaches and desert landscapes.
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