Tunisia's prime minister appointed opposition figures to a new unity government on Monday in the hope of restoring stability after violent street protests brought down the president last Friday. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi also said the government was committed to releasing all political prisoners and would investigate anyone with great wealth or suspected of corruption.
Before his announcement, 1,000 people demonstrated in the capital Tunis, some saying they would not accept members of the ousted president's ruling party in the new coalition because they would block needed reforms. Ghannouchi is himself a member of the RCD, previously led by ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, and the party retains a significant presence in the new government. Security forces used water cannon and tear gas and fired shots in the air to disperse the protest. In the capital, ordinary Tunisians were sceptical.
"We do not trust this government because there are the same faces, like Ghannouchi, Morjane and particularly Friaa," said passer-by Mohamed Mishrgi. "It's as if Ben Ali's system is still there. It's for that reason that the demonstrations are continuing in Tunis. We want a new state with new people." Another passer-by, Hosni Saidani, added: "It is difficult to trust these people because they participated in Ben Ali's system but they did not have the courage to say to him 'stop.'
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