Tunisia to dissolve govt. over protests

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali says he will dissolve the government after protests were held in the country over the assassination of leading opposition leader Shokri Belaid.

According to Press TV, in a televised address on Wednesday, Jebali said that he “decided to form a government of competent nationals without political affiliation.”
He added that his new government will organize the elections “as soon as possible.”
He said “Belaid’s assassination has quickened my decision, for which I assume full responsibility before God and before our people.”
Before Jebali’s reshuffle announcement, four Tunisian opposition parties quit the country’s Constituent Assembly, calling for a nationwide strike following the murder of the leading opposition leader.
This came after Belaid was shot dead after leaving his home in the capital earlier in the day.
Thousands of Tunisians also took to the streets across the North African country on Wednesday to condemn the murder of Belaid. Police also used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
The Interior Ministry said a Tunisian policeman was killed in clashes between the security forces and protesters.
Soon after the death, Jebali condemned the assassination as “a criminal act, an act of terrorism not only against Belaid but against the whole of Tunisia.”