Tunisia urged to meet public demands

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has called on political leaders in Tunisia to follow the demands of their people in a peaceful manner.

The Iranian official urged Tunisian leaders to sow good judgment and “establish security” in the country, adding that Tehran was “closely monitoring the developments” in the North African country.

Mehmanparast said the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches great importance to the fulfillment of public demands in Tunisia.

Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s government fell after weeks of bloody protests over corruption, unemployment, and high food prices.

Tunisia’s Constitutional Council has announced the country’s Parliament Speaker Fouad Mebazaa as the interim leader, formally ousting Ben Ali from office.

Earlier, Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghannouchi took over from Ben Ali.

The brewing uprising dubbed by many analysts as the worst unrest in at least 23 years erupted on December 17th, when a young fruit vendor in the city of Sidi Bouzid set himself on fire after police confiscated the fruits and vegetables he was selling without a permit.

On Friday night, unabated demonstrations through Tunisia’s capital, which was held to demand the ouster of the country’s former president, forced 74-year-old Ben Ali to cede power after 23 years in office.

Later on Friday, the government declared a national state of emergency, imposing a ban on public gatherings and authorizing security forces to open fire on anyone who refused to comply with orders.

Before his ouster, Ben Ali sought to staunch the flow of public outcry over the dire political and economic situation in the country by sacking his cabinet members, and further called an early parliamentary election to be held within six months.