WASHINGTON — Like Egypt, secularists rallied in Tunisia against their Islamist government.
Reuters reports that tens of thousands of Tunisians demonstrated in the streets of downtown Tunis, the capital city, and demanded the end of the Islamist-run government, run by the party called Ennahda.
This is the largest opposition protests since the toppling of the longtime dictatorial regime under ben Ali, who fled with Tunisian riches to Europe. The demonstrators want the government to change hands and for the current parliament, called the Constituent Assembly, to be dissolved.
The Assembly is close to finishing a draft of a new constitution and election law and the opposition lawmakers fear it could lead to a more permanent Islamist government.
The demonstration also marked the six-month anniversary of the assassination of leading opposition leader Chokri Belaid. A second was also assassinated within the last month. Their killers have not been found.
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