Tnez form new Government today after a day of clashes

Tunisia can not afford the institutional vacuum, outside Army, last. And the priorities seem clear. Stop the chaos that exists in many cities and towns across the country, where it continues the escalation of tension that caused yesterday in the Tunisian capital, several gun battles between security forces and groups apparently loyal to ousted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali , fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday.

The clashes came even to reach the presidential palace in Carthage, near the capital, as well as Gammart neighborhood, where most embassies and diplomatic residences, including Spain, France, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon . Without social peace and without government, channeling political debate and pledged to organize elections in a country not much used to the negotiations, it now seems a chimera.

Since the new chairman, Fuad Mebaza, took office on Saturday and ordered the prime minister, Mohamed Ghanuchi, form the new cabinet, pulled into negotiations with opposition parties promising to end immediately. This was underlined last night Ghanuchi in a brief address to the nation. "Tomorrow," he said, "will announce a new government to open a new page in the history of Tunisia." In fact, this new stage is now open for the violence unleashed by the police since last December 17 is something that the Tunisians have never known the country since independence in 1956.

Nor could anyone imagine that just a month ago Zine el Abidine Ben Ali would be ousted, a historic event in the Arab world. "The main thing for us now is to end this mess. We agree on several principles relating to the new Government. We will continue discussing", claimed yesterday Ahmed Brahim, head of Ettajdid, one of the three parties legalized by the dictator, and used to give the appearance of democratic legitimacy to the repressive regime in the Maghreb.

They did not have any role to play under President Ben Ali, who won the 2009 elections with 90% of the vote, somewhat distanced from the aberrant 99.91%, which resulted in 1994, or 99.27% five years earlier. Executive that included members of the opposition. The agency reported last night that the three leaders of the opposition parties legalized be ministers.

Mustapha Ben Jaafar, leader of the Democratic Forum for Labour and Freedoms, will take charge of Health, the chief of Ettajdid will vest in Higher Education, and Nejib Chebbi, the first leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, Minister for Regional Development. Retain their positions and interior ministers of the previous Government Affairs: Ahmed Friaa and Kamel Morjane.

And cleared the doubts about the political presence of the former regime in the nascent administration, an issue that has been a workhorse in the negotiations. Other parties, never allowed to date, ban advocates attend the Democratic Constitutional Assembly elections, and even require it to be dismantled.

On Saturday there was speculation that disagreements had arisen over the distribution of key portfolios in the interim Cabinet. But whether or not today Tunisia now has a new government, will certainly be an indication that all parties are taking responsibility commensurate with the grave situation in the country.

The second mission of the Government shall organize elections which will not be easy. It was reported that the opposition has been assured that the polls, called for mid-March, will be free and that the parties may have enough time to properly organize the campaign. And here is one of the most important obstacles.

The Constitution requires the appointment with the polls be held within 60 days. But this time it is impossible for parties with so little presence in the country are able to compete on equal terms with the Democratic Constitutional Assembly (CDA), headed the group that Ben Ali. Ettajdid, the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties, and the Democratic Progressive Party are largely unknown in Tunisia a few parties, whose media-all officers, or when they are subjected to strict censorship, have silenced without opponents openly.

Yet today, censorship continues: in recent days, Channel 7 offers stories about spear fishing or fishing. And do not end here the unknowns on the political future of Tunisia. Do you allow the participation of the Islamists, whose leader Rachid Ghanuchi, exiled in London, has said he will return to the country in a few days?

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