Tunisian Revolution.

[Svartalf]

This just in. 10 Mn ago I was having my customary friday nigh "Greek" sandwich from the place next block. The people there were taking phone calls on the job... I understood why when they said what it was : President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who's been the oppressive dictator in Tunisia for nearly 25 years, and who recently suffered major unrest due to the miserable economic situation of the country and the gross excessies of his police in suppressing any form of dissent is announced to have left the country in a hurry, apparently for Cameroon.

I hope the Tunisian people will get more freedoms and less corruption with their next rulers.

[Rum]

Le président était allé

[Azathoth]

I hope the Tunisian people will get more freedoms and less corruption with their next rulers.

[Brian Peacock]

The President has fled the country with his money family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12195025

[Svartalf]

What's funny is that nobody know for sure where the bastard is.

The Tunisians next door were told Cameroon, other news sources said Libya, others Paris, though no one seems to have seen him here, and I doubt that kind of news could have been kept under wraps...

[Brian Peacock]

I'll put £10 on Switzerland. French speaking (ish), neutral, and good with stolen cash and stuff...

[Lozzer]

It's being heralded as a 'Wikileaks revolution' after the release of diplomatic cables regarding the regime last month; which is when the troubles basically began. The president tried escaping to France but Sarkozy wouldn't let him in, now he's in Saudi Arabia

[redunderthebed]

^ yup

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/afric ... .protests/

Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- A startling power shift in restive Tunisia inched forward Saturday as the country's parliament speaker assumed the interim presidency and the country's former longtime leader took refuge with his family in Saudi Arabia.

In a change of government driven by days of angry street protests, Tunisian state TV reported that Fouad Mebazaa is now the country's acting leader and presidential elections will be held in 60 days.

The move corresponds to an article in Tunisia's constitution that says power will be transferred to the parliament speaker when the president resigns, dies or is unable to perform his responsibilities.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president with a reputation for ruthlessness and corruption, fled to Jeddah after ruling his country since 1987, and was welcomed by the Saudi Arabian king.

"The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces that it stands fully by the Tunisian people, wishing, by God will, its people will stand solid to overcome this difficult phase in its history," the Saudi royal court said in a statement.

As the political situation remained fuid, the army appears to have clamped down and established a strong presence on the streets in the cities of Tunisia -- long a relatively stable and prosperous country in what diplomats call "a rough neighborhood."

There were no reported street protests in the capital, Tunis, on Saturday and people were venturing outside in search of groceries after the overnight curfew ended.

But reports of rioting and looting in the country and the burning of Tunis' main train station have surfaced. Security forces also have been spotted rounding up and roughing up people.

The wave of rallies in the North African nation was sparked by the suicide of an unemployed college graduate, who torched himself last month after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his source of income.

Their protests have been organized and supported through online networks centered on Twitter and Facebook.

Under Ben Ali, Tunisia was a pro-Western state supportive of U.S. policy in the Middle East and in its efforts against terrorism.

A widespread grass-roots outrage has been bubbling over poor living conditions, high unemployment, government corruption and repression.

Protesters had called for Ben Ali to step down and held daily demonstrations denouncing his government.

The dramatic change in government began on a turbulent Friday, when police fired tear gas and dispersed demonstrators in the capital -- a show of force that aggravated what had been a peaceful gathering.

Ben Ali dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency.

Then, Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced that he had taken over the responsibilities of the president because Ben Ali couldn't perform his duties.

Ghannouchi appealed for calm, and pledged to respect the constitution and carry out political, economic and social reforms.

Ghannouchi asked residents to cooperate with the army, which was ordered to take charge of the streets following a state-of-emergency declaration.

As Ghannouchi took the helm, protests erupted in Kasserine as Tunisians objected to his power move.

Trying to calm widespread discontent with Ben Ali's government, the prime minister told Arabic-language Al-Jazeera TV that "certain measures" had been taken against "corrupt families," referring to business owners close to the president.

The president's return to Tunisia "is impossible," Ghannouchi said.

The parliament speaker then assumed the interim presidency under constitutional law.

Amnesty International spokesman Claudio Cordone told CNN that 55 people have been killed over the past several weeks of demonstrations. The former president had put the number at 21 before his departure.

"We hope that the army will match its reputation for being more professional and less trigger-happy than the security forces that have been responsible for much of the violence over the last several weeks," Cordone said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for free and fair elections and said the United States was monitoring the events.

"We condemn the violence and urge restraint on all sides," she said in a statement.

Recent diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia obtained by WikiLeaks revealed growing discontent, especially over nepotism within the government.

WikiLeaks published a 2009 cable recounting a lavish dinner for the U.S. ambassador given by Ben Ali's son-in-law, a prominent businessman. The dinner featured ice cream and frozen yogurt flown in from Saint Tropez, the diplomat said.

Good luck to the tunisian people.

[Coito ergo sum]

Tunisia Grows Up
Here's hoping the Jasmine Revolution improves upon the legacy of Habib Bourguiba, the nation's first president.

http://www.slate.com/id/2281450/

[Clinton Huxley]

Hope that twit Gadaffi is next to go