Tunis: Tunisia on Friday imposed a curfew on Sidi Bouzid in the centre of the country following overnight riots during which protestors set offices on fire.
The curfew from 7pm until 5am covers all the towns and villages in the governorate, excludes health and emergency cases and night occupations, the interior ministry said.
“The curfew will be lifted after the situation returns to normal.”
The ministry said that the curfew was imposed following the riots in the governorate.
Several protesters, reportedly angered by the decision of the Independent High Commission for the Elections on Thursday to invalidate the seats won by the Popular Petition in six constituencies in the national elections to form a constituent assembly for alleged violations of the law, clashed with the police and set ablaze the offices of Al Nahda, the Islamist party that dominated the polls.
Protesters said that the decision was unfair and doubted their electoral choice. The commission said that parties could appeal the results by filing complaints that will be decided by an administrative court within two weeks.
The newly formed Popular Petition surprised everyone, even its more optimistic supporters, by coming fourth in the elections ahead of well-established parties.
It would have been third, one seat short of the Congress for the Republic that carried 30 seats, if its wins in six constituencies had not been invalidated.
