Old guard retain key posts as Tunisia gets unity government

Prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, a long-time partner of Mr Ben Ali, and several top ministers kept their jobs.

Mr Ghannouchi also announced that political prisoners would be freed, among measures aimed at relaxing a system that for decades was effectively under the single rule of Mr Ben Ali's RCD party.

A key question was whether the changes would be enough to stabilise the country that has seen continued unrest after Mr Ben Ali fled on Friday – 23 years after he first took power.

Mr Ghannouchi, who has been premier since 1999 and has kept his post throughout the upheaval, said the existing ministers of defence, interior and foreign affairs would stay in their posts.

Three opposition figures, including Nejib Chebbi, a founder of the opposition PDP party, will join the government.

Until new presidential elections are held, the country is being run by interim president Fouad Mebazaa, former speaker of the lower house of parliament, also a veteran of Tunisia's ruling party.

Mr Ghannouchi said all non-governmental associations that sought recognition would be automatically and all the restrictions on the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights would be lifted.

Many opponents of Mr Ben Ali's rule took to the streets to demand the new government should not include any leftovers from his iron-fisted regime.

Security forces fired tear gas to repel angry demonstrators in the capital, Tunis, before the announcement was made.

Yesterday hundreds of stranded tourists were still being evacuated from the country, and foreign airlines resumed flights that were halted when Tunisian airspace closed amid the upheaval.

A union leader upset at the prospect of a government full of old guard ministers, predicted growing demonstrations against positions of power for the RCD.

"It (RCD) left by the back door and is coming back through the window," said Habib Jerjir, of the Regional Workers' Union of Tunis. "We can't have militias in the streets and in the government.

Mr Ghannouchi said the government would create three new state commissions to study political reform, investigate corruption and bribery, and examine abuses during the recent upheaval.

He did not refer to the prospect of new elections, which under Tunisia's constitution must be called within 60 days. Some members of the opposition want more time to allow the public to get know the choices in a country known for one-party rule.

Whatever emerges, the new leadership will first face the challenge of restoring order.

Looting, gunbattles, and score-settling have racked the country since Friday, when a month of street protests against years of repression, corruption and a lack of jobs brought down Mr Ben Ali.

Shops in the centre of Tunis remained shut yesterday, and police were deployed in force.

A semblance of normal daily life returned in other areas of the capital where shops, petrol stations, pharmacies and supermarkets reopened. Many people returned to their jobs and others rushed to buy scarce staples like bread, fish and milk.

Suicidal despair sparked trouble

The riots started after an educated but jobless 26-year-old committed suicide in mid-December when police confiscated the fruits and vegetables he was selling without a permit.

His desperate act hit a nerve, sparked copycat suicides and focused generalised anger into outright revolt.

United States diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks also fuelled the anger.

The unrest has hurt the key tourism industry in Tunisia, known for its beaches and desert landscape, ancient ruins and bustling bazaars.