Parliament approves Tunisia's new government and prime minister promises results

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid checks documents before delivering his speech at the national assembly in Tunis, Wednesday, Feb.4, 2015. The government faces a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, which it is expected to pass. The new government faces a battle against high inflation and high unemployment. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi) (The Associated Press)

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid delivers his speech at the national assembly in Tunis, Wednesday, Feb.4, 2015. The government faces a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, which it is expected to pass. The new government faces a battle against high inflation and high unemployment. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi) (The Associated Press)

New Tunisian employment minister Ziad Ladhari, of the Islamist Ennahda Party, listens to the Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid delivering his speech at the national assembly in Tunis, Wednesday, Feb.4, 2015. The government faces a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, which it is expected to pass. The new government faces a battle against high inflation and high unemployment. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi) (The Associated Press)

Tunisia's parliament has overwhelmingly approved the country's first full-term post-revolutionary government.

Prime Minister Habib Essid, whose cabinet includes ministers from four parties including the powerful Islamists, promised on Thursday "work and nothing but work" on the country's economic and security problems.

The government was approved with a large majority: 166 votes in favor, 30 opposed and eight abstaining.

Essid's earlier attempt to form a government consisting of just his nationalist Nida Tunis party and one other party was scrapped after it became clear it would lose the vote of confidence.

The prime minister presented his program to parliament Wednesday, focusing on securing the country against terrorist threats and controlling runaway inflation.

Tunisians overthrew their dictator in 2011 and the ensuing four years of transition were stormy.