Confidence dropping in Tunisia's Islamist-led government

Confidence in Tunisia's Islamist-led government has dropped from 56 percent in March 2012 to 32 percent in May, a poll indicates. The polling by the Gallup organization revealed an even bigger drop in approval of the country's leadership during the same period. It went from 60 percent in 2012 to 23 percent in May 2013. Protests in Tunisia early this month prompted the speaker of the National Constituent Assembly to announce suspension of the body's activities until the government and opposition begin talks. Fifty-nine percent of Tunisians polled by Gallup reported they are living comfortably while 41 percent indicated they are having difficulty just getting by. Gallup said it found a link between the current political crisis and Tunisia's deteriorating labor market. Seventy-one percent of Tunisians reported it was a bad time to find a job locally. Gallup's polling of 1,053 adult Tunisians was conducted May 20-30 by face-to-face interviews. The poll carried a margin of error of 3 percentage points.