video transcript

The government in Tunisia has announced it would dissolve itself and hold elections after a day of violent demonstrations. The protests earlier in the day were prompted by the shooting death of Chokri Belaid, a left-wing lawyer who spoke out against the Islamist ruling party. Thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of the capital- throwing rocks at police, who fired back with tear gas. The speed at which the protests spread suggest how deep divisions are between Islamists and secular movements who are afraid of losing their civil liberties under an Islamist regime. The protests were the largest since the Arab Spring Uprisings of 2011. In an effort to quell the violence, Prime Minister Hamdi Jebali announced he would replace his entire cabinet with non-partisan technocrats until elections could be held as soon as possible.