Tunisia Islamists say no new gov't as crisis grows

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - Tunisia sank deeper into political crisis Thursday, as the ruling Islamist party rejected its own prime minister's decision to replace the government after the assassination of a leftist politician led to a wave of angry protests.

The murder of Chokri Belaid, a 48-year-old secularist and a fierce critic of hardline Islamists as well as the more moderate ruling party, laid bare the challenges facing this nation of 10 million, whose revolution two years ago sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

Because of its small, well-educated population, there were hopes Tunisia would have the easiest time transitioning from dictatorship to democracy. But instead Tunisia - a staunchly secular state under ex-dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali - is now a battleground pitting secularists, moderate Islamists, and hardline Islamists against one another.

The economy has struggled, power-sharing negotiations have stalled, and political violence is on the rise. The rejection of the prime minister's move to create a government of technocrats to guide the country to elections also made clear that divisions exist between hardliners and moderates within the ruling party, Ennahda.

Police used tear gas Thursday to drive off the few dozen protesters who tried to demonstrate in front of the Interior Ministry, averting a repeat of the large rallies that swept the capital hours after Belaid's assassination Wednesday.

But full-scale riots hit the southern mining city of Gafsa, where Belaid's Popular Front coalition of leftist parties enjoys strong support. The state news agency TAP also reported clashes in cities across the country, with police resorting to tear gas and warning shots. In the northwest town of Boussalem, demonstrators set fire to a police station.

The tension could escalate Friday. Dramatic turnout is expected for Belaid's funeral; coupled with a general strike called by the main labor union, the events raise the prospect of confrontations nationwide.

The police and army have been put on alert to prevent any outbreaks of violence and to "deal with any troublemakers" announced the presidential spokesman Adnan Mancer in a press conference late Thursday.

He added that police are questioning a possible suspect in the murder - a member of Belaid's political party who was working as his chauffer and was witnessed speaking with one of the assailants before the politician was shot to death in his car outside his home Wednesday morning.

The latest events have raised fears Tunisia may not be an exception to the turmoil in the region, where several states are in a post-revolutionary phase.

The situation has yet to degenerate to the point of Egypt, the scene of regular street battles between police and protesters and a total breakdown of trust between the Islamist government and the opposition. Tunisia's Islamists rule in coalition with two secular parties and must rely on consensus more than Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.