20110304
reuters

TUNIS (Reuters) - 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 in his first public appearance since taking office earlier this week.

Tunisia has been struggling to restore stability since Ben Ali was toppled on January 14 by mass street protests and fled to Saudi Arabia.

Caid Sebsi, 84, was appointed after the previous interim prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, resigned on Sunday following protests over his close ties to Ben Ali and the slow pace of change.

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.

A source close to the president's office told Reuters that, once in place, a constituent council could appoint a new government or ask the caretaker administration to carry on until presidential and parliamentary elections were held.