Africa News

Tunisia's new prime minister to appoint new government

Mar 4, 2011, 12:57 GMT

Tunis - Tunisia's new interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi on Friday said he would name a new government in two days that would restore order and pull the economy back from an 'abyss.'

Essebsi succeeded Mohammed Ghannouchi as interim prime minister at the weekend after Ghannouchi resigned over his links with the regime of ousted ex-president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

A further six ministers this week resigned from the transitional government put in place after Ben Ali's ouster by a popular revolt in mid-January.

Essebsi told a press conference the priority of the new government would be 'to restore the state's authority, which has fallen to an intolerable level.'

That would involve 're-establishing security for all citizens, regions and institutions.'

The government would also 'relaunch the economic cycle without delay because we're on the brink of an abyss,' he declared.

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