TUNIS - Tunisia's interim prime minister said on Friday he would appoint a new government in two days, the third caretaker administration since the overthrow of veteran leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January. "In two days I will present my new government to the interim president", Beji Caid Sebsi told a news conference. "Our priority is to restore the prestige of the state ... the priority is security," he added. Tunisia has been struggling to restore stability since Ben Ali was toppled on Jan. 14 by mass street protests. Caid Sebsi was appointed after the previous interim prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, resigned on Sunday following violent protests over his close ties to Ben Ali. Five ministers have stood down since then, leaving the caretaker government on the brink of collapse. By appointing a new team, Caid Sebsi is seeking to assert his authority and see through a delicate transition in which Tunisians will elect a constituent assembly on July 24 to rewrite the constitution. The protests in Tunisia have provided the inspiration for uprising in other parts of the Arab world. However, outbreaks of violence in North Africa's most developed state have added to the uncertainty of the post-Ben Ali era and put pressure on interim authorities.
