TUNIS, Aug 5 (KUNA) -- The Tunisian security services used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters in front of the office of the provincial ruler of central governorate of Sidi Bouzid on Monday.
The demonstrators, who have been staging a sit-in protest at the site since the assassination of the opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi on July 25, barred the provincial ruler from office; they press for sacking the government and dissolving the Constituent Assembly.
The tensions ran high the area after ending the sit-in as the protesters gathered downtown Sidi Bouzid and chanted the same slogans of the sit-in.
Meanwhile, several protest marches were staged in several parts of the country after the 'iftar' (evening breakfast for Muslims), calling for bringing to justice the assassins of Brahmi as well as eight soldiers in separate terrorist attacks at the central Chaambi Mount in the last few days.
In a related development Interim President Moncef Marzouki received leaders of several political parties here today to discuss the current stifling crisis.
The meeting gathered chairman of Call of Tunisia Party and former prime minister Beji Caid Sebsi, former prime minister Hamed Karoui and leader of the coalition partner Ennahda Movement Rachid Ghannouchi. (end) nm.gb KUNA 052340 Aug 13NNNN