Tunisia's liberal prime minister is planning to run in early elections called after President Beji Caid Essebsi died last week, making him one of the most likely frontrunners in the race for the top job.
Caid Essebsi, 92, a secularist who helped guide the transition to democracy after a 2011 revolution, was buried at a state funeral on Saturday.
The speaker of parliament has been sworn in as interim president to lead the country to a new election.
Slim Azzabi, secretary-general the Tahya Tounes party, announced that prime minister Youssef Chahed would make a bid for the presidency.
The party, which split off from Caid Essebsi's Nidaa Tounes party this year, is now the biggest liberal group in Tunisia's parliament. It governs in coalition with the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party and a smaller liberal group.
Ennahda has not yet named its candidate for the presidency.
Other candidates who have announced their intention to stand include liberal former Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa, and Moncef Marzouki, who served as interim president for three years after autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced from office. Caid Essebsi was then chosen in the first democratic presidential election in 2014.
Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, and the only country where those revolts were followed by a peaceful transition to democracy.
Nevertheless, it remains mired in a severe economic crisis that has fuelled social discontent.
A presidential election due in November this year will now be held two months early following the death of Caid Essebsi.
Tunisia's president mainly has authority over foreign and defence policy, governing alongside a prime minister chosen by parliament who has authority over domestic affairs.
The state-run Tunisia News Agency reported last week that the president was taken to a military hospital in the capital but passed away a few hours later.
It was the second time he had been hospitalised in recent weeks, and a video released by the president's office days before he died showed him visibly weakened as he met with the defence minister. The clip raised concerns about his fitness for office.
Caid Essebsi passed away on Tunisia’s Republic Day, where he was expected to give an address.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
