{{Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday evening demanding the resignation of the Islamist-led coalition government as the political crisis in the north African country grew.}}<\/p>\n
Around 40,000 people took to the streets of Tunis, according to police, while opposition leaders put the protest figures between 100,000 and 200,000.<\/p>\n
They waved Tunisian flags and chanted slogans against the moderate Islamist movement Ennahda that heads a three-part government coalition.<\/p>\n
The protesters were largely middle-class Tunisians from the capital, according to Eileen Byrne, Sunday Times correspondent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I ask people why they come to demonstrate, why they don\u2019t like this Islamist-led coalition government, they talk about the economic situation,\u201d Byrne told FRANCE 24 by telephone from Tunis. \u201cThey say the middle classes have seen their standard of living erode.\u201d<\/p>\n
The country has been wracked by political unrest since the July 25 murder of opposition lawmaker Mohamed Brahmi. Tuesday’s protests marked the biggest anti-government demonstration since the assassination.<\/p>\n
Brahmi’s murder, as well as that of another opposition politician, Chokri Belaid, have been blamed on radical Islamists, with the Ennahda-led cabinet criticised for not doing enough to prevent them.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Protesters] are not happy with religious ideology in government, they are not happy with the rise of fringe extremism which has led to the killing of two politicians,\u201d Byrne said.<\/p>\n
The protest on Tuesday marked the six-month anniversary of the assassination of the left-wing leader Belaid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t feel confident that the coalition that is led by the Islamists will assure free and fair elections, although the last elections in 2011 were generally free and fair, but they don\u2019t have confidence that success can be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) \u2013 a body elected in 2011 to forge consensus on drafting a new constitution \u2013 was suspended.<\/p>\n
The political impasse seemed likely to continue, with the political opposition refusing to hold talks with the government until it steps down while Ennahda has ruled out any dialogue intended to dismantle its authority.<\/p>\n
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