Tunisia interim president sworn in after riots

Tunisia has a new interim president after 24 hours of political uncertainty and a monthof violent street protests thatforced his predecessorto flee the country.

The speaker of the Tunisia'sparliament, Fouad Mebazza,was sworn in Saturdayafter a ruling by the Constitutional Court, which called fornew elections in 60 days.

Mebazza said on state televisionthat he hasaskedPrime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to form "a national unity government in the country's best interests."

Tunisia's capital remained under a state of emergency afterPresident Zine El Albedeen Ben Ali, 74,and some members of hisfamilyfled the former French colony forJeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday night.

For more than23 years, Ben Alipresided over a repressive regime that many said wascorrupt and served only the interests of a small elite ruling class. Herelied heavily on the police to quash opposition.

Frustration with Ben Ali's regime was exacerbated recently by rising food and fuel prices and high unemployment.

Unrest continued even after the president'sdeparture for Saudi Arabia. OnSaturday morning, sporadic gunfire couldbe heard in Tunis and smoke billowed over a giant supermarket outside the capital as looters torched and emptied it. The army fired warning shots to scare them away.

A helicopter circled low over the city, apparently acting as a spotter for fires or pillaging. Army roadblocks stopped accessto Bourguiba Avenue, Tunis's main thoroughfare.

Security forces were on every corner, trying to maintain order, but some people were going about their normal business.

Disturbances at 2prisons

Fire swept though a prison in theTunisian resort town of Monastir asinmatesreportedly tried to stage a mass breakout. A local coroner saidat least 42 peopledied.

At another prison in the coastal city of Mahdia, five people were reported killed in clasheswith guards. A prison official said the director there freed about 1,000 inmates following the uprising.

Looting hit the suburbs of Tunis, and the city's central train station was burned to the ground early Saturday. People in the capitalreporteddrive-by shootings.

In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office called for free elections in Tunisia as soon as possible.

A spokesman for the French government, Franois Baroin,saidsomemembers of Ben Ali's family who are staying in France are "not welcome to stay" in the country and will be leaving.Baroindid notspecify which family members are currently in France.