Tunisia could trigger pro-democracy wave

FRESH gun battles have erupted in the Tunisian capital as hopes grew that the popular revolt against the country's strongman president could lead to greater democratic freedoms across the Arab world.

The unseating of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years of repressive rule has been hailed by its supporters as one of the first democratic uprisings in north Africa, where a number of authoritarian states dominate the region.

However, there were signs yesterday that neighbouring regimes - including that of Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi - will resist calls for greater democracy.

"I am very pained by what is happening in Tunisia," Col Gaddafi said in a speech yesterday.

He added: "Tunisia now lives in fear... Families could be raided and slaughtered in their bedrooms and the citizens in the street killed as if it was the Bolshevik or the American revolution.

"What is this for? To change Zine al-Abidine? Hasn't he told you he would step down after three years? Be patient for three years and your son stays alive."

After a day of relative calm, gun battles broke out in Tunis yesterday outside the headquarters of the PDP opposition party.

The renewed violence came after Tunisian police arrested the head of the presidential guard for ousted leader Mr Ben Ali.

Ali Seriati and several colleagues were detained on accusations they had plotted against state security.

The prospect of the uprising spreading to neighbouring countries was raised by Arab political commentators and experts on the region yesterday.

Egyptian human rights activist, Hossam Bahgat, said he hoped that his countrymen would take a similar stand against Egypt's authoritarian regime.

He added: "I feel like we are a giant step closer to our own liberation. What's significant about Tunisia is that literally days ago the regime seemed unshakable, and then eventually democracy prevailed without a single Western state lifting a finger."

• Tunisia: Scots among 3,500 Britons glad to be home

• Tunisia: The Long Fight

During demonstrations in Cairo over the weekend, activists opposed to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's three-decade regime chanted a reference to the Tunisian's president's airborne exile, saying: "Ben Ali, tell Mubarak a plane is waiting for him, too."

Dr Maha Azzam, an associate fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, at Chatham House, the home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said: "Tunisia has started a momentum that is going to be difficult to hold back. Certainly we are going to see turmoil in Egypt. I think it will come to a head with the presidential elections in September, but something could occur before this. Obviously we have to keep in mind that the level of security is very, very high in Egypt."

At least 42 people were killed at the weekend in a prison fire in one Tunisian resort town and the director of another prison in another tourist haven let 1,000 inmates flee after soldiers shot five dead amid a rebellion.

President Ben Ali fled on Friday for Saudi Arabia following mass street protests over corruption, a lack of jobs and clampdowns on civil liberties.

Mr Ben Ali's long-time ally, prime minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, stepped in briefly, keeping open the possibility that Mr Ben Ali could return.However, on Saturday, the head of the Constitutional Council declared the president's departure permanent and gave Fouad Mebazaa, leader of the lower house of parliament, 60 days to organise elections.

Hours later, Mr Mebazaa was sworn in as president.

In his first televised address, the interim president asked the prime minister to form a "national unity government in the country's best interests" in which all political parties will be consulted "without exception nor exclusion".