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Sunday, Feb 10, 2013 3:00 PM UTC

Tunisia: President’s party quits government

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Tunisia: President's party quits governmentMoncef Marzouki, President of Tunisia, shows his "Liberty passport" he was given as he was living in exile in France years ago and was forbidden to return his native country, during a statement at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Feb.6, 2013. Marzouki, who is from a secular party in the governing coalition, was in Strasbourg addressing the European Parliament and said the assassination was a threat against all of Tunisia. Chokri Belaid, a Tunisian opposition leader critical of the Islamist-led government and violence by radical Muslims was shot to death Wednesday _ the first political assassination in post-revolutionary Tunisia. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz)(Credit: AP)

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki’s secular party is quitting the coalition government in anger at the dominant Islamist party’s handling of the country’s political crisis.

The move by the Congress for the Republic party threatens to deepen the crisis, prompted by the killing of an opposition leader last week.

Marzouki was a longtime human rights activist whose ascension to the presidency was seen as a sign of Tunisia’s democratic progress after it overthrew a longtime authoritarian president in 2011.

The state news agency TAP says the Congress for the Republic party said Sunday that it is quitting the coalition government, which is led by Islamist party Ennahda.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

Calm is returning to the streets of Tunisia’s capital, even as pressure is growing on the governing Islamists to find a solution to the country’s biggest crisis since it set off the Arab Spring uprisings two years ago.

The killing of a Tunisian opposition leader last week brought protests against a government accused of pandering to extremists. The prime minister wants to appoint a new government of technocrats to ease tensions.

But his Ennahda party rejects the idea. Ennahda’s governing committee is meeting Sunday to discuss it, amid signs of a growing split between party moderates and hard-liners.

After three days of street violence, the streets in the capital Tunis are relatively quiet Sunday, under the watchful eye of riot police.

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

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  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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