Tunisia Protests Gain Momentum As Calls For President's Resignation Continue

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Violent anti-government protests drove Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power Friday after 23 years of iron-fisted rule, as anger over soaring unemployment and corruption spilled into the streets.

Thousands of demonstrators from all walks of life mobbed the capital of Tunis on Friday to demand Ben Ali's ouster, the culmination of weeks of protests that have swept the country. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi went on state television to announce that he is assuming power in this North African nation known for its sandy beaches and ancient ruins.

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Protesters hold a banner reading "Freedoom for the Tunisian People," during a demonstration to call for the resignation of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in the capital city of Tunis.

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Protesters hold a banner reading "Freedoom for the Tunisian People," during a demonstration to call for the resignation of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in the capital city of Tunis.

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karim banned said on 14 Friday 2011 pm31 7:37 pm: "Tunisian protesters say PM must go too" "Game Over" http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110114/asohrabi20110114214750857.jpg http://www.presstv.com/detail/160193.html

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The shakeup was certain to have repercussions in the Arab world and beyond – as a sign that massive public outrage could bring down a leader as entrenched and powerful as Ben Ali.

The president tried vainly to hold onto power amid Friday's riots, declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the government and promising new legislative elections within six months. A day earlier, he had promised not to run for re-election in 2014 and also slashed prices on key foods such as sugar, bread and milk.

Yet Friday saw the largest demonstrations in generations. Police repeatedly clashed with protesters, some of whom climbed the walls of the dreaded Interior Ministry, site of torture reports for years. Clouds of tear gas and black smoke hung over the city's whitewashed buildings, and tour operators hurriedly evacuated thousands of tourists.

Hours later, the airport was closed and unconfirmed news reports citing unidentified government sources said Ben Ali had left the country.

"I take over the responsibilities temporarily of the leadership of the country at this difficult time to help return security," Ghannouchi said in a solemn statement. "I promise that when I take this responsibility, to respect the Constitution and work on reform of economic and social issues with care and to consult with all the sides."

The 74-year-old leader came to power in a bloodless coup in 1987, taking over from a man called formally President-for-Life. Ben Ali seized power from Habib Bourguiba, the founder of modern-day Tunisia who set the Muslim country on a pro-Western course after independence from France in 1956.

Ben Ali removed Bourguiba from office for "incompetence," saying he had become too old, senile and sick to rule. Ben Ali promised then that his leadership would "open the horizons to a truly democratic and evolved political life."

But after a brief period of reforms early on, Tunisia's political evolution stopped.

A U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks called Tunisia a "police state" and says Ben Ali has lost touch with his people.

Comments

[karim banned]

05:48 PM on 01/14/2011

Riots in Algeria and Jordan.

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/algeria/

http://www.presstv.com/detail/160179.html

This is getting interesting.

[karim banned]

07:37 PM on 01/14/2011

"Tunisian protesters say PM must go too"

"Game Over"

http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110114/asohrabi20110114214750857.jpg

http://www.presstv.com/detail/160193.html

[Knowbetter]

05:35 PM on 01/14/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxibMBV3nFo&feature=related

[twoyg2]

05:34 PM on 01/14/2011

Ah folks one point. The Tunisians are NOT Arabs, Muslim YES Arab NO

[costellowriter]

05:37 PM on 01/14/2011

Definitely not Arabs. Although it's irrelevant. The people commenting here are missing the point. This was about banking corruption, loss of sovereignty and food inflation. Not political and racial hatreds.

[The-Brave-Hero]

05:40 PM on 01/14/2011

Why definitely not Arab? What are they?

[The-Brave-Hero]

05:39 PM on 01/14/2011

Really? What are they? Why do they define themselves as Arabs and speak Arabic? Why are they members of the Arab league? Did you try telling them what they are and what they should define themselves?

[costellowriter]

05:32 PM on 01/14/2011

I bet the global elite are getting worried. They thought they could starve the masses through food inflation without any repercussions.

[Jon Jony]

04:53 PM on 01/14/2011

It is interesting how some posters on here - with an vitriolic hatred of Israel - are hoping next for the overthrow of more moderate Arab regimes like Jordan and even Egypt; yet they do not mention the most repressive dictatorships in the Middle East (Syria and its Lebanese satelite, Iran, Lybia etc...)

It really proves that what these people want is not so much as democracy in the Arab world and the Middle East - in general - as much as they simply want the end of Israel (along with a possible Pan Arab nationalism).

[karim banned]

04:58 PM on 01/14/2011

"It really proves that what these people want is not so much as democracy in the Arab world"

Iran is not an Arab country.

Iran had its revolution in 1979 and now is progressing at speed of light.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18546-iran-showing-fastest-scientific-growth-of-any-country.html

[The-Brave-Hero]

05:02 PM on 01/14/2011

Israel needs to get rid of Avigdor Lieberman :-)

[The-Brave-Hero]

04:53 PM on 01/14/2011

Considering Ben Ali as one of the most repressive leaders it only took four weeks to get him out of office. All what people in the Arab world need to do is go to streets in masses to force others from Mubarak to Gaddafi to Bashir and Saleh to go on the run.

[The-Brave-Hero]

04:59 PM on 01/14/2011

I might add Assad and Ahmadinejad to the list so Jon Jony above won't get upset :-)

[karim banned]

05:10 PM on 01/14/2011

Why should he get upset.

Your brain is washed for you by western propaganda.

He is elected president of Iran.

[karim banned]

05:01 PM on 01/14/2011

There is already some unrest in Jordan.

http://www.presstv.com/detail/160179.html

[za101]

04:33 PM on 01/14/2011

tick the box above

What's Your Reaction?

[Dogontired]

04:25 PM on 01/14/2011

This is good news. I really didn't care for Ben Ali, when Bourguiba passed away I was living in Tunis and he really tried to minimize the time & access of the furnal. As if he couldn't even stand to see this nation's founding father get any of the population's respect even in death.

[breakingpoint]

04:22 PM on 01/14/2011

Americans could learn something from these folks

[theaetetus]

04:21 PM on 01/14/2011

i love how its iron fisted rule all of a sudden.

[Dogontired]

04:33 PM on 01/14/2011

That's a good point. I was living in Tunis in 2000 and while there they had an election. Ben Ali had no one running against him, the news claimed that almost everyone came out and voted for him, yet no one I knew had voted. This seemed to be the norm for elections there according to whomever I spoke with, and no one seemed bothered by it at the time. Tunisians then seemed to think their democracy was just fine, yet the election was clearly fishy. I was actually told by one Tunisian friend that this was because they were a "consistant democracy" and suggest that my country (the US) wasn't turly democratic because there was so much dissagreement in the government. I'm please the people of Tunisia are now taking more interest in their government.

[MrBadger]

04:21 PM on 01/14/2011

Having lived briefly in Tunisia and loving their people I hope that the United States does everything possible to support the people and help them form a truly representative government. Tunisians are forward looking and could be a model for the new direction in the Arab world. Good luck to them in the hard work that lies ahead.

[camus12]

04:30 PM on 01/14/2011

We all know that US support has an hidden cost ...

[Jon Jony]

04:19 PM on 01/14/2011

Amazing. For each article on Huffpo about "evil Israel" there are usually (at least)1500 posts. When it comes to how ruthless the governments of many Arab nations are towards their own people; usually there are no more than several hundred posts (if that)..Oh why does that not surprise me.

[Alish]

04:18 PM on 01/14/2011

A huge congratulation to my brave Tunisian brothers and sisters. What you did made all of us in the middle east/north Africa region proud! We failed last year in Iran, but your courageous fights, your sacrifices and your victory brings our hope back! Bravo and Viva Tunisia!!!

[karim banned]

04:41 PM on 01/14/2011

Iran had a successful revolution in 1979.

Iran is progressing 11 times faster that the world.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18546-iran-showing-fastest-scientific-growth-of-any-country.html

[camus12]

04:53 PM on 01/14/2011

Iran is a islamic dictature ruled by corrupt mollahs, there is not much difference between the sha and the mollah. Excepted it is the clerics that get all the money now. There is no democracy in Iran. and no future for its youth neither.

[rabidbadger]

05:13 PM on 01/14/2011

Iran has been a scientific backwater for decades producing at a rate many times below what would be expected given the highly educated population and intellectual traditions of the nation. Iran's success is in spite of its government, not because of it. Iran will never realize its potential under the present system of government given the regressive tendencies of the leadership and weakened prospects for international collaboration given the present political climate. It is no coincidence that the opposition to Ahmadinnejad is centered in urban and educated centers.

[Firas Al-Atraqchi]

04:13 PM on 01/14/2011

The Tunisians really utilized social media to the fullest - I wonder if media historians will look back on today as a point of no return. Arab repressive governments are surely going to try and learn what they can from this. But the die has been cast, social media is the weapon of the revolutionary, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/firas-alatraqchi/tunisias-revolution-was-t_b_809131.html

[karim banned]

04:16 PM on 01/14/2011

Congratulation to you. I hope they can form a democratic regime.

I hope this will happen to all ME Arab countries and all US supported puppets are removed from power.

[camus12]

04:17 PM on 01/14/2011

revolution doesnt happen on the internet , only geeks think it does. People actually died in the streets during violent riots. You dont change things by tweeting , but by spilling blood.

[Hirnlego]

04:22 PM on 01/14/2011

No, of course it doesn't happen on the internet, but it can spread information very swiftly, in ways not possible with other ways.

Albert camus btw? The stranger is a good book.

[KIVPossum]

04:26 PM on 01/14/2011

Ideas move on the internet.

[camus12]

04:12 PM on 01/14/2011

Now tunisia has the choice between Democracy and Islamism , I hope they choose the right one.

[karim banned]

04:39 PM on 01/14/2011

It will be both. There is no contradiction. People's legitimate and moral will, is the same as Allah's will.

[rabidbadger]

05:20 PM on 01/14/2011

You're confused. Democracy in the traditional sense of the word requires religious freedom and equal treatment of all. It is not optional.