Thousands of protesters march across Tunisia, demanding that allies of the ousted president stop clinging to power. The secretary general of the Arab League, meanwhile, links the uprising to deteriorating economic conditions throughout the Arab world and warns Middle East leaders that their people's anger has reached unprecedented heights
 Tunisians protest in the center of Tunis. AFP photo. |
Thousands of Tunisians rallied across the country against their new government on Wednesday, as the leadership tried to defuse public anger over the continued power of the former ruling party and four ministers pulled out.
"Ben Ali has gone to Saudi Arabia! The government should go there too," around 2,000 protesters chanted in central Tunis, referring to former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who fled on Friday after 23 years of iron-fisted rule. "We want a new parliament, a new constitution, a new republic! People rise up against the Ben Ali loyalists!" they chanted at the peaceful demonstration.
Thousands more rallied across central and southern Tunisia in Ben Guedane, Kasserine, Regueb and Sidi Bouzid - the city where protests against the regime began last month after a young vendor set himself on fire in a protest.
At the rally in Ben Guedane, some protesters carried coffins in a symbolic funeral for the RCD - Ben Ali's widely hated and once all-powerful party, which continues to have a stranglehold on the main state institutions.
The authorities meanwhile shortened a curfew that has been in place for days, saying the security situation had improved, but a state of emergency that bans any public assemblies remained in place. Traffic was visibly heavier in Tunis and some shops and offices re-opened.
Interim president Foued Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi on Tuesday quit the RCD, which has dominated Tunisian politics for decades. But Ghannouchi and seven other ministers from the previous government under Ben Ali held on to their posts including the interior and defense ministries.
"Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water," Tunisia's Le Quotidien daily commented in an editorial that emphasized the new national unity government was temporary and would prepare for democratic elections. "The resentment is legitimate but it should not transform itself into a blind hatred that blocks the victorious march of the Tunisian people towards liberty," said the independent daily.
"The creation of a national unity government is the only path towards this final victory. The participation of the RCD in this government should not be a source of discord or a stumbling block," it said.
Thousands protested across Tunisia on Tuesday, with police firing tear gas in the centre of Tunis to disperse demonstrations as four ministers pulled out of the government in protest against the RCD just a day after it was announced.
In an apparent bid for political survival, the once all-powerful RCD officially expelled Ben Ali, who was forced from power last week following a wave of protests in which dozens of people were killed.
The tumultuous events in Tunisia - dubbed the "Jasmine Revolution" - have inspired dissidents across the Arab world and sparked protests in various countries including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Egypt. Ben Ali was the first Arab leader in recent history to quit after protests.
Saudi Arabia said Ben Ali would not be allowed to engage in political activity while sheltering in the kingdom. He fled to the Red Sea city of Jeddah along with six members of his family and has made no public statements.
The United States has welcomed reforms announced by the new government, including media freedoms and the release of all political prisoners, but has said political change must broaden and deepen.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Tunisia to hold "credible" elections to form a government backed by the whole nation. On Tuesday, two new ministers and a junior minister from Tunisia's main trade union - a key player in the protests - announced their withdrawal after the union refused to recognize the government.
Wary of the unrest in Tunisia, Arab leaders were expected to commit to a proposed $2 billion program to boost faltering economies that have propelled crowds into the streets to protest high unemployment, rising prices and rampant corruption.
The summit marks the first gathering of Arab leaders since a popular uprising sparked by the self-immolation of an unemployed man forced veteran Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee his country on Friday.
The secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, linked the upheaval in Tunisia to deteriorating economic conditions throughout the Arab world, warning Middle East leaders that their people's anger has reached unprecedented heights. In impassioned remarks, Moussa told an Arab economic summit in Egypt that "the Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."
"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Moussa warned. "The Arab citizen entered an unprecedented state of anger and frustration." He called for an Arab renaissance to lift people from their frustration.
Compiled from AFP and AP reports by the Daily News staff.
"Ben Ali has gone to Saudi Arabia! The government should go there too," around 2,000 protesters chanted in central Tunis, referring to former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who fled on Friday after 23 years of iron-fisted rule. "We want a new parliament, a new constitution, a new republic! People rise up against the Ben Ali loyalists!" they chanted at the peaceful demonstration.
Thousands more rallied across central and southern Tunisia in Ben Guedane, Kasserine, Regueb and Sidi Bouzid - the city where protests against the regime began last month after a young vendor set himself on fire in a protest.
At the rally in Ben Guedane, some protesters carried coffins in a symbolic funeral for the RCD - Ben Ali's widely hated and once all-powerful party, which continues to have a stranglehold on the main state institutions.
The authorities meanwhile shortened a curfew that has been in place for days, saying the security situation had improved, but a state of emergency that bans any public assemblies remained in place. Traffic was visibly heavier in Tunis and some shops and offices re-opened.
Interim president Foued Mebazaa and Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi on Tuesday quit the RCD, which has dominated Tunisian politics for decades. But Ghannouchi and seven other ministers from the previous government under Ben Ali held on to their posts including the interior and defense ministries.
"Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water," Tunisia's Le Quotidien daily commented in an editorial that emphasized the new national unity government was temporary and would prepare for democratic elections. "The resentment is legitimate but it should not transform itself into a blind hatred that blocks the victorious march of the Tunisian people towards liberty," said the independent daily.
"The creation of a national unity government is the only path towards this final victory. The participation of the RCD in this government should not be a source of discord or a stumbling block," it said.
Thousands protested across Tunisia on Tuesday, with police firing tear gas in the centre of Tunis to disperse demonstrations as four ministers pulled out of the government in protest against the RCD just a day after it was announced.
In an apparent bid for political survival, the once all-powerful RCD officially expelled Ben Ali, who was forced from power last week following a wave of protests in which dozens of people were killed.
The tumultuous events in Tunisia - dubbed the "Jasmine Revolution" - have inspired dissidents across the Arab world and sparked protests in various countries including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Egypt. Ben Ali was the first Arab leader in recent history to quit after protests.
Saudi Arabia said Ben Ali would not be allowed to engage in political activity while sheltering in the kingdom. He fled to the Red Sea city of Jeddah along with six members of his family and has made no public statements.
The United States has welcomed reforms announced by the new government, including media freedoms and the release of all political prisoners, but has said political change must broaden and deepen.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Tunisia to hold "credible" elections to form a government backed by the whole nation. On Tuesday, two new ministers and a junior minister from Tunisia's main trade union - a key player in the protests - announced their withdrawal after the union refused to recognize the government.
Arab summit
Tunisian Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane, meanwhile, left Egypt before the start of an Arab economic summit which he was due to attend. Morjane was due to attend the Arab Economic, Social and Development summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort.Wary of the unrest in Tunisia, Arab leaders were expected to commit to a proposed $2 billion program to boost faltering economies that have propelled crowds into the streets to protest high unemployment, rising prices and rampant corruption.
The summit marks the first gathering of Arab leaders since a popular uprising sparked by the self-immolation of an unemployed man forced veteran Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee his country on Friday.
The secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, linked the upheaval in Tunisia to deteriorating economic conditions throughout the Arab world, warning Middle East leaders that their people's anger has reached unprecedented heights. In impassioned remarks, Moussa told an Arab economic summit in Egypt that "the Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."
"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Moussa warned. "The Arab citizen entered an unprecedented state of anger and frustration." He called for an Arab renaissance to lift people from their frustration.
Compiled from AFP and AP reports by the Daily News staff.
No comments:
Post a Comment