Tunisia's new govt wins vote on confidence

TUNIS - Tunisia's Constitutional Assembly voted late on Friday to approve the country's new government presented by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, the official TAP press agency reported.

The new caretaker government was approved by a vote of 154-38 with 11 abstentions and now has the green light to run the country for a period not exceeding 18 months.

On its part, the Constituent Assembly will be tasked with drafting a new constitution to replace the older one in place since the country's independence in 1956.

Following the approval of the new 41-member government on Friday, Jebali announced his resignation from the Constitutional Assembly in implementation of a provision voted by the assembly earlier, TAP said.

Key cabinet positions have gone to the Islamist party Ennahdha which won 89 seats in the 217-member assembly elected in October, except for the defense ministry which remains in the hands of Abdelkrim Zbidi, an independent.

Among the key ministers are Ali Laraiedh who was imprisoned by the former regime, Rafik Ben Abdesslem, the son-in-law of Ennahdha's leader Rached Ghannouchi and Noureddine Bhiri, Ennahdha's official spokesman who was appointed as the country's justice minister.