Tunisian main parties sign power-sharing deal

Tunisia's three main political parties signed a power-sharing deal late Monday, the official press agency TAP reported. According to the deal, Moncef Marzouki of the Congress for the Republic party will be the president of the country, Hamadi Jebali of the Islamist party Ennahdha will be the prime minister, while Ettakatol's Mustapha Ben Jaafar will chair the Constituent Assembly. The 217-member assembly will meet for the first time on Tuesday to confirm the three posts and discuss candidates for the rest positions in the new cabinet. The mandate of the newly-elected Constituent Assembly will not exceed 12 months from the date of its first plenary session, TAP said. The Constituent Assembly is tasked with drafting a new constitution in the 12 months, as well as running the country pending the new parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012.