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Deutsche Welle
All ministers in Tunisia's interim government have quit the party of ousted President Ben Ali following demands that it be dissolved. Relatives of Ben Ali have also been arrested for possessing state assets.
As many as five Tunisian government ministers have resigned from the political party of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, according to state television. The ministers follow Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and interim President Fouad Mebazaa in quitting Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party.
A junior minister, who held a post under Ben Ali also became the first minister from the former regime to quit the government entirely on Thursday.
"I am stepping down for the higher interests of the country in this delicate situation to try to bring the country out of crisis and ensure a democratic transition," Zouheir Mdhaffar, minister of state in the prime minister's office, was quoted as saying by Tunisia's TAP news agency on Thursday.
Tunisia unveiled its interim government on Monday, after Ben Ali fled the country to Saudi Arabia in the face of a popular revolt. But the protests continued even after the interim government was established.
Cutting ties to old regime
Many Tunisians have been demanding that the RCD party be banned all together and were unhappy that so many RCD members were included in the new government.
At a protest march on Thursday toward the RCD's headquarters in the capital, Tunis, police fired warning shots in an effort to get the demonstrators under control.
The new cabinet is expected to meet for the first time later on Thursday, and new elections are due to be held within six months.
Family assets seized
Meanwhile, 33 members of Ben Ali's family have been arrested by Tunisian authorities on charges that related to accumulating part of the state's wealth.
Images from state television showed jewelry, watches, and credit cards that had been confiscated from the family members, whose identities and relation to Ben Ali remain unknown.
Earlier this week, Switzerland froze the assets of Ben Ali and his family.
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